The Superior Species
by robbiepoo2341
Summary: Now that Noh-Varr has decided to stay on Earth, he's trying to win back the trust of the X-Men, especially Jubilee. But even as he works to protect his mind and win back hearts, something else is brewing... an anti-mutant storm that is going to put the people he's come to love in danger. (Part 2 of the 664 Marvel universe)
1. Don't Go Breaking My Heart

**Notes: Yay for moar Noah learning how to navigate Earth! I've slowed down a bit on this one and the tinyClint one because of some Real Life stuff (second book of my series getting released this weekend, woot!) but I promise it's still getting love!**

 **After all, who can resist Jubinoh? No one, that's who.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Don't Go Breaking My Heart**

* * *

It was hard for Noh-Varr to transition from being a temporary resident of Earth to considering the planet with a bit more permanency.

It had only been a few days since he brought the Phoenix to Hala and witness its host, Jean, simply burn through any on Hala who had been corrupt, who had brought that planet to the fallen state that Noh had witnessed. And yet it felt like a lifetime ago — perhaps because Noh had been so violently thrown into loneliness since then.

He was still surrounded by friends with the X-Men; that much was true. Jean had made it clear to him that she didn't blame him for the actions the Supreme Intelligence had forced upon him. And the others seemed to be following her lead of forgiveness as well.

But even with the few friends he had here on Earth, he was still lost, more than he had ever been before. It was abundantly clear to him that his mind was vulnerable and that the Kree in this universe were not yet advanced enough to _trust_.

It was hard, Noh thought, to be unable to find refuge with the Empire that should have been his home. And yet the X-Men had proven themselves more enlightened than the Kree.

It was disappointing.

His mind was empty as well — devoid, yes, of the influence of the Supreme Intelligence but devoid of any sign of his people as well. At least when the Supremor had infected his mind, Noh had felt like part of a whole. Now, he felt… adrift.

There were days when the loneliness was an ache in his chest that was almost too hard to bear, and those were the days that someone always seemed to find him — no doubt sent by Charles or Jean. He knew that they were keeping an eye on him, because they were frequent visitors to his mind, and they knew that he was barely keeping his head above water.

It was times like this that a member of the staff would suggest some new music, some new food to try — something to keep his attention.

He missed Jubilee desperately, but she had been colder to him since he left to go to Hala. She didn't seem to believe him when he promised that he was on Earth to stay, though at the very least, she didn't stop him outright from talking to her or trying to spend time with her. But it was nothing like sharing music and stealing kisses as they had done before.

He was very lost, and very alone.

Despite the intense loneliness and outright depression that seemed to be clouding Noh's every waking moment, however, he _did_ try to participate in those activities that brought him some joy — the things that made him love Earth even if it was nothing like his home.

More often than not, if Noh was not with Charles and Jean, he was listening to music or attending classes — and his favorite class was one that combined both.

Noh's turn to pick the music in dance class came up sooner than he expected, and he couldn't decide between the Ronettes and the waltz. He had wanted to dance with Jubilee, but since she was still a bit distant, he ultimately decided on the Ronettes — which ended up with a short lesson on dirty dancing that he hadn't quite expected but thoroughly enjoyed.

K had assigned the partners, grinning at Noh in particular as she told him low that Jubilee needed a good dip. And Kurt had been an excellent partner for her to show the kids how it was done. It was a little harder for some of the teens to get past the awkward stage but… it ended up being a highly enjoyable class all around.

The kids were clearing out when K called out for Noh to hang back. "I need a little hand down at the barn this afternoon, and I'd like you to be the big, strong one helping me."

Noh looked surprised at the request. "I know you are strong yourself, and you have told the others as much often."

"Noh," she said in her most exasperated tone as Kurt smirked nearby. "I just need a little help. You already broke my heart once. Please don't do it again."

Noh straightened slightly. "Yes, well… what do you need done?"

"I have a couple of bulky boxes that need to go down, and then it's time to restack the hay before it falls and hurts someone."

"I can do that," he assured her with a small smile, letting her lead the way to where the boxes were stacked by the door so he could simply carry them down for her, though they were a bit bulkier than he had expected.

She was happy to lead the way — and hold the doors open, since, even with the strength, the boxes were not balanced inside in a way that made them easy to handle. "Awesome. Thank you. You want to help me unpack them first before we stack?"

"Of course," he said with a little nod.

She gave him a little smile and popped one claw to slice open the boxes — only to reveal that they each contained a new leather saddle for the riding classes. "Why don't you try this one out?" she suggested.

He looked at the saddle with his eyebrows drawn together. "You would need to show me," he admitted at last.

"Of course," she said before she pulled down a saddle stand and told him to set it on the wooden stand. "I'll hold it steady; just hop in and have a seat."

He raised an eyebrow her way before he simply vaulted up to sit in the saddle and then looked back down at her. "Alright, I'm sitting in it… what am I testing it for?"

"Yep. Legs straight down ... relaxed," she instructed as she tipped her head to look at everything. "How many fingers can you get between your leg and this part … it's called a pommel?"

"Two," he said after a moment to test it. "I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for?"

"It is," she said with a nod. "It looks like it's holding you pretty well." She looked up at him with a little frown. "Kree skeletal anatomy. How similar is your pelvis built to ours?"

"I'm not sure what your is like, but I have two joints here," he said, indicating a spot near his hip. "So that I can bend and fold."

"I'm more interested in how things work as far as near the tailbone. With us, there are two points that, for lack of a better description, we use the term 'seat' bone … that you should be able to feel if you're sitting properly." She tipped her head. "One on either side — the ischium."

He nodded thoughtfully. "You must have had a prehensile tail in your evolution," he said. "Mine is more rounded, like a thorax, more cartilage."

She nodded. "Well yes, that's part of it." She took a little longer to think about it. "If you relax, can you feel a contact point on either side — where the backside of your leg meets your backside?"

He was quiet for a long moment as he shifted the way he was sitting. "Alright, yes."

"Wonderful," she said, smiling at him widely. "I was hoping you'd join my riding class too. There are few things so peaceful and romantic as a trail ride that ends at sunset."

"I could do that, yes," he said, his head tipped to the side. "That does sound interesting."

"I'm still trying to convince Charles to let us do a weekend trail ride — let the kids sleep under the stars, all of that."

"Why would he say no?" Noh asked, genuinely confused. "It sounds lovely."

"Just idiotic people that might want to start trouble," she said with a shrug. "Our horses would mean it would be a fairly close to home ride, but the foothills are lovely to ride in, and the lakes would be fun to camp near."

"If security is an issue, then I could go," Noh offered.

"Logan was figuring out a solid, safe path," she told him. "He has a knack for finding less travelled routes." She nodded to herself. "Tomorrow afternoon, there's room in that class for you to learn how to ride."

He smiled her way. "Thank you; that sounds interesting."

"And you haven't even tried country music yet," she said, shaking her head.

"I have several genres to get through," he said.

"Yes, but for as wholesome as you've been leaning, I was sure you'd find _The Sons of The Pioneers_ by now."

"I admit, I've gotten a little caught up with the Beach Boys and the Ronettes," he said. "The tight harmonies are my favorite."

"Well, the era I'm talking about is a decade or so before them."

"Do you have a CD?"

"Ah, no. I do not," she said, shaking her head. "Once upon a time, I had a record, but … no."

"Well, I'll find it next time I go to the mall with ... well ... whoever will go with me, I suppose."

"Ask Jubilee, she wanted to get a new something done to her hair."

He paused and then nodded. "I think I will, then," he said, though he couldn't help smiling to himself.

* * *

While Jubilee was getting her hair cut, Noh went to a bookstore to look through some of their different selections. He didn't need the nonfiction section when he could download information, but he was coming to enjoy music and television. Paige had suggested _ET_ to him the other day, and he'd actually enjoyed it — and wanted to find more stories.

He ended up walking out with a few books of poetry — he thought it was the most like music he'd seen in written form and honestly enjoyed a few of them that he had read — and went to meet up with Jubilee outside the hair salon. He was still a bit further out when he saw the much shorter cut — which he thought looked amazing on her — when a couple young men stepped up on either side of Jubilee.

She looked to each side of her and rolled her eyes. "Step off, creepazoids," she said in a tired tone. "I'd hate to kick your trash all over the mall in front of your buddies. But I will."

"Aww, that's cute," one of the guys said. "She thinks she can take us."

"Go ahead, gene trash," the other one sneered.

"Oh, you're ready to get your butt kicked now?" she asked, looking like she was shocked at the news.

The guys both stepped forward, and Jubilee looked like she was ready to fight them with one hand tied behind her back when Noh finally caught up to them. "Oh, are we fighting now? Wonderful."

"I'd hardly call it fighting," Jubilee said. "Wouldn't even qualify as stretching."

"Oh, certainly not," Noh agreed, looking over the two young men, who looked a bit shocked at the backup now that it was a slightly more even match. Or uneven — but they didn't quite seem to realize that. "Certainly not with _this_ … _gene trash_ I'm looking at."

"What is your problem, man?" one of the guys asked.

" _She's_ the mutie," the other one chimed in, pointing at Jubilee.

"And proud of it," Jubilee replied with one hand on her hip.

"I'm well-aware of who she is," Noh said calmly. "It is _you_ who are behind evolutionarily." He tipped his head to study them. "Do you even qualify as _homo sapien_?"

"Kinda looks — and smells — like what I'd imagine _homo habilis_ looked like," Jubilee said with her nose in the air.

"He must be one of them too," said one of the guys.

"Not quite," Noh said with a smirk. "Certainly far more advanced than you, _gene trash_. You'd have been thrown out where I come from."

"Come on, ignore the losers," Jubilee said, pulling at his arm lightly. "Not worth the energy."

Noh frowned their way for a moment longer before he let out a sigh and then turned her way. "Yes, I have a new CD to listen to. Far more important."

"And we have just enough time to get some noodles before we go," she added.

He grinned a bit wider. "Lead the way, Jubilee."

She took a better hold on his arm and leaned slightly into him as they headed to the noodle cart. "Really. Those dweebs try to start something every time they see me. They don't have the guts to actually _do_ anything."

"They're idiots," he said with a little sniff. "They don't even have a basic understanding of genetics to do a proper insult."

She rolled her eyes at him and made the order for the two of them. "You know … most people don't have a basic understanding of genetics by your ruler."

"This… is true," he said with a little smile. "But honestly, Jubilee, 'gene trash' is what we called genetic experiments that were completely inviable and a waste of the effort put into them. You are _not_ that."

"Well," she said with a little shrug, "that's just what they think. More or less."

"As I said — idiots." He shook his head and smiled her way. "They should see just by looking at you that you are superior. That haircut suits you."

She blushed lightly — though whether it was at his compliment or the look the woman at the noodle cart was giving her, it was a tough call. She hid behind a soft 'thank you' in Mandarin before she handed Noh his noodles and the two of them headed for the door. "You really like it? I was a little unsure on how short it is on the back and sides..."

"No, I like the way it frames your face," he said. "It draws attention to your smile, jaw, and neck."

"Well, that's one of the nicest things anyone's said about one of my cuts."

Noh smiled at her. "Well, you asked me my opinion, and I gave it to you. But if you have been so deprived, I'll try to tell you more often."

She blushed again and pulled her feet up under her where she sat on the concrete planter outside of the entrance. "Eat your noodles."

He grinned at her and followed her lead, and he tried to use the chopsticks like she did, though that just had her giggling over his attempts until he was just grinning up at her. "I like it when you laugh."

"I'll buy you your own set of chopsticks then," she giggled.

"I may need them just to get the hang of it," he laughed.

She looked up at him with a troublemaking look on her face. "They have special sets for little kids with a little rubber arch holding them together …"

He laughed and shook his head at her. "I may be a remedial student in some things, but I think I can master this without the childish alternative."

"You could always take the crash course," Jubilee said with a slowly growing smile.

"And what would that be?"

"Trip to Madripoor and Tokyo with Wolvie and me."

He tipped his head to the side. "I would love to go anywhere with you, but I somehow doubt Logan would agree."

"You might be surprised," she told him. "Madripoor's kinda rough, and he likes challenging people's sensibilities on food."

Noh smirked. "I don't have any sensibilities on food."

"You say that _without_ looking at the dancing octopus."

"Is it organic?"

"And alive."

"Then I can eat it," he said with a shrug.

"Oh sure … I forgot. Aliens don't care about tentacles and suction cups trying to suck out your fillings."

"I've met sentient beings that fit that description," he said with a small smirk.

"Is that … is that a sense of humor in there?" she asked with a little smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

He couldn't help but smile at her. "It must be a little one, since it seems you can't tell."

"Oh, it's just so subtle, I'm glad to see it, that's all," she said, turning her attention to the last of her noodles. "Seriously. You need to catch up. Bobby is cooking tonight. You'll starve to death otherwise."

He grinned at her and abandoned his chopsticks for a plastic fork — for the moment — but couldn't stop smiling at her, either. By the time they were out the door, he was in a great mood. "We should do this again," he said. "I like seeing you smile."

She blushed again and dropped her head a little lower. "You already _said_ that."

"I said I liked seeing you laugh," he said. "And besides, repetition is good. Most music is repetition." He held out his hand to her, and she looked at his hand and then up at his face before she scooted a little closer and took it.


	2. Let Me Help

**Well, CC, you asked for moar Jubinoh...**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Let Me Help**

* * *

That morning before class, a few of the X-Men were listening to the news Bobby had turned on. It wasn't too different for them — they'd heard people beat the war drum against mutants before — but the added push from the Sentinel program was concerning the team itself. And this new player, Bastion, was fast proving himself to be a real threat, even if he'd only kept things to the public sphere thus far.

"So," Noh said as he sat down next to Jean at breakfast. "When are we going after the people they are talking about?"

"We don't," Jean said, though it was clear that she and Scott were going to be leaving soon. "We need to point out that what he's pushing is unconstitutional and a breach of basic human rights — then hope the public can see it and agree."

"Yes, but he seems to be entirely intractable. I thought that meant it was past argument."

"He's not as powerful as the Shi'ar," Jean replied.

"Then you fight him as you do Magneto, yes?"

"Unfortunately, he's not a mutant, so we have to treat him a bit more delicately," Jean told him with a little tight smile.

Noh shook his head. "When that doesn't work, let me know, and I will help you fight him."

"When that doesn't work, we'll try another route," Scott said. "You should ask Logan and K about how that works out. I'm pretty sure K's entire horse training theory runs around that premise."

Noh tipped his head to the side. "Perhaps I will."

"You're perverting it, Scott," K muttered from the other side of the table, half hidden by the newspaper she and Logan were going through. "The horses are much smarter than that jackass."

"Then what is your philosophy?" Noh asked.

"Ask often, demand nothing, and reward generously. It works with two-thousand pound animals, kids, and everything in between — but that guy's brain can't be any bigger than a walnut, so I don't think there's much hope."

"Ah," Noh said, nodding. "So he's gene trash."

Bobby dropped his coffee as he whipped around to stare at Noh — and K simply broke down laughing.

"Yes. yes. That exactly," K giggled.

Noh shrugged openly. "It's an apt descriptor."

"We don't stoop to their levels," Scott said sharply, obviously taken aback by the casual way Noh threw the slur around.

Noh turned his way. "But if they are going to involve eugenics in their arguments, at least we should be clear about which way the advances are moving. And it is _away_ from them."

"We're _not_ involving eugenics," Scott replied flatly.

Noh looked around the kitchen and then let out a little breath. "If it bothers you all so much, I won't use the phrase," he said, almost sullenly.

"It's just childish, that's all," Jean told him, though she was most definitely entertained by Noh's outlook.

"Perhaps the way they are using it," Noh said with his arms crossed. " _I_ use its actual meaning. Therefore, I am in the right."

"Yes you do, stardust," K said with a smirk. "Have a seat and do what we have to … watch Jean and Scott look good on TV while they make their argument."

Noh smirked her way for a moment and then sat beside her — with her coffee refilled for her. "You have so many strange rules," he told her in a low tone.

"I thought you heard me earlier; I only have three rules."

"You abide by the X-Men's rules," he pointed out.

She raised her eyebrows as Logan chuckled to himself. "Yes. Yes I do. All the time."

"Then you have more than three," he said.

"Yeah, I guess number four is 'try not to give Scott an arrhythmia'."

He smiled and nodded her way. "Yes, of course."

"We still need work on that one," Logan muttered, his focus still on the paper.

Noh smiled his way for a second before he patted K's arm and got to his feet. "I was going to Charles' office again — do you need anything else?"

"I don't think so," she said. "Do _you_ need anything?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, I was going to go to the costume store with Jubilee later. For Halloween. Apparently, I _need_ to be Mr. Spock."

"Appropriate," she said with a little nod.

"Yes, because a dark-haired, pointy-eared person in blue is definitely _my_ doppleganger," Noh said dryly.

"It's not the look," Logan pointed out. "It's the … everything else."

"I… am not emotionless," Noh said, though it had taken him a moment to think of something, considering the science angle and the speech patterns.

Logan just raised an eyebrow at him over the paper, but didn't say anything as he went back to the news.

Noh shook his head before he headed down the hall, though he was still thinking of how he was not nearly like Mr. Spock. He was just… trying to learn how to express himself in this reality. He did feel things — _deeply_ — it was just the culture that was hard to get used to.

He was still preoccupied with his thoughts when he arrived at Charles' office, though he tried to put them aside for the moment so that they could go into his mindscape.

In the weeks since the trip to Hala, the mindscape had been slowly changing. And while Noh had been disappointed at first that the gaping chasm in his mind wasn't _filling_ , Charles had pointed out that he was focused on the wrong thing. The hole wasn't filling from the bottom up, but the edges were slowly moving in. Now, rather than being hundreds of yards in either direction, the hole was only about the size of a football field. Still impressive, but not unwieldy.

They had also been working on his defenses — which didn't manifest themselves as walls, like Jubilee's had. To Noh's surprise, it had been more like… a giant pink bubble slowly expanding to protect his mind, particularly the gaping hole, so that no one could get in.

At first, Charles had been a bit concerned. With all of the color changes, the music store, the sunset that was just starting to peek out behind the clouds as the fog cleared, he had been a bit worried that Noh-Varr was far too tied up with Jubilee. He had honestly been worried that Noh was simply reaching out for another influence to guide him rather than looking for his own way.

But as the hole filled in, the things that were taking its place were not all tied to Jubilee. Rather than the sleek streets around them, the hole was closing in with a field covered in orange and red leaves, trees springing up even in the streets. There was even an area with a winding sort of path that had clearly been tread by horses.

The newest addition, of course, was a little bookstore, though the reading nook was on the rooftop, and this area was different from all the others in that it had a view of the stars rather than a sunset.

It was eclectic, and none of it was angular or led in straight lines — which was honestly the best sign that it was Noh's own doing than anything else could have been.

They spent a bit of time strengthening the defenses, and Noh walked the perimeter of the chasm one more time before they left again, though Noh had to ask when they were through, "Do you think my defenses are strong enough now?" he asked. "To join the team, I mean."

Charles raised both eyebrows. "I didn't think you'd still been considering it. I know that was the directive you were given…"

Noh tipped his head to the side as he considered his answer. "I want to help you," he said. "Not because I was asked to, but because I hate that people hate you."

"I think you're on the right path," he said. "And that as long as you continue … I don't see any reason why not."

Noh broke into a huge smile at that. "Then I'll ask Scott," he said.

* * *

Noh had to wait until Scott and Jean returned from their public speaking tour before he could speak with Scott, and both of them looked a bit worn out from the whole ordeal — though as soon as Jean skimmed what Noh was thinking, she started to smirk at Scott and kissed his cheek to slip off so he could talk to the young man. After all, she knew that Scott had wanted to talk to their alien visitor about the team practically since he dropped in their laps.

And seeing as Noh hadn't quite mastered anything like small talk — which he considered to be a waste of time — he just jumped right into it. "I was wondering if I could join your team — and if so, where you could use me."

Scott broke into an honest grin and nodded. "We'd love to have you," he said. "You'd have to clear it by the professor; I know you've been working on your telepathic defenses."

"I asked him already," Noh said, which just got another grin out of Scott.

"Great," he said, nodding. "Then we'll start you on the junior squad. You can learn how our team works and how to deal with the different threats we deal with." Scott nodded to himself as he thought it over. "It'll be good for you to see how we operate; I know it's very different to what you're used to. And you won't be out in the field until you can work with the team and until I clear you."

Noh grinned and nodded. "I can agree to those terms. I'm sure Jubilee will have plenty to show me," he agreed.

"Are you going to be able to take your cues from the junior squad?" Scott asked. "I know you're trained, but not the same way we are."

"Of course I can," Noh said. "After all, they have been doing this longer than I, and I know for a fact I still don't understand a lot of your tactical decisions on dealing with threats." He held his hands out at his sides and shrugged. "I would take my cues from them even if you had not told me to, because I still don't know when it's time to fight or not."

"Great. You'll have to come to team practice."

"Of course."

Scott smirked and rested a hand on Noh's shoulder. "I think you'll catch on fast," he said. "Jean says you're already making significant progress."

Noh grinned. "I'm working on it."

"I know," Scott said. "And that's half the battle."

"The other half being, of course, actually protecting my mind," Noh pointed out.

Scott smirked. "True," he admitted. "But everything we do required practice. You know that — training and discipline."

Noh nodded. "Of course," he said, drawing himself up the slightest bit before he met Scott's gaze. "This means a lot to me, I hope you know," he said, his tone suddenly more earnest. "You have all become like family to me, taken me in when I had nothing else. I want to be part of your battles, to share your successes and your failures and help where I can."

Scott stopped and turned more fully Noh's way at the sincere tone before he smirked lightly and nodded. "I know," he said. "This team is a family. Always has been."

"Then… I thank you for letting me into your family," Noh said. He smiled brightly at Scott before, with that, he simply tore down the hallway to go find Jubilee — who absolutely hadn't been expecting it when he swept her off her feet.

"Woah!" Jubilee was wide-eyed for a moment before she realized who it was that had swept her off her feet — literally — and resettled so that her arms were around his neck. "Hey there, handsome."

"Hello, my lovely Jubilee," he said with a smile.

"So, what's going on? Or is this just your everyday run-of-the-mill sweeping off my feet?" Jubilee teased. "I mean, I'm not complaining either way…"

"I thought I should tell my team leader first and foremost that I obtained Scott's permission to join the team," Noh explained, grinning wider with every word — and especially at the fact that Jubilee had broken into a sort of shocked grin.

"That's great," she said, almost searching his face. "When did this happen?"

"Just now," Noh admitted. "I wanted to speak to Scott after my session with Charles." He beamed at Jubilee. "I'm making a lot of progress with Jean and Charles in protecting my mind."

"They showed you how to build walls?"

"Actually, that's not quite…" Noh smiled and shook his head. "My mind has created more of a … protective dome." His smile widened as he looked down at her. "A big, pink bubble."

Jubilee's eyebrows shot up, and she blinked at him for a moment before she turned as pink as the aforementioned bubble. "That's… nice," she said.

"I was worried about its structural integrity at first, especially because it popped so easily during that attack by the Cuckoos," Noh continued, giving Jubilee the chance to recover at least a little bit as she tried to get the blushing under control. "But actually, it's surprisingly durable now that we've been shoring it up."

"Well, you _are_ working with the two most powerful telepaths ever," Jubilee pointed out.

"I am," he agreed before he readjusted the way he was holding her and then smiled a little wider. "And now, I will be working with you. I can think of nothing better."

Jubilee blushed. "You say the sweetest things."

"I mean them from the bottom of my heart," Noh assured her, getting another little blush out of Jubilee. "Because I care about you, Jubilee."

Jubilee didn't exactly know what to say to that, so she could only bite her lip as she looked up at him before she very carefully stole a quick kiss.


	3. Hold Your Tongue

**Notes: CC, I love your notes and your enthusiasm so much. :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Hold Your Tongue**

* * *

The first team practice with the junior X-Men was … interesting, to say the least. Noh had expected that it would be different than any other training, but he still wasn't entirely sure what to think of it all.

Monet did have talent, and she did seem to work hard, but she also simply couldn't wrap her head around taking any cues from Jubilee. Or, really, taking cues from anyone who wasn't one of the senior X-Men running the show — in this case, Scott and Storm.

And the others were certainly powerful, but again, Noh was struck by a lack of discipline that he simply hadn't expected. They were able to come together a little better in practice than in their classes, but…

"So, what did you think?" Jubilee asked him after he'd gotten out of the shower after the first practice.

Noh frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "It's… different," he admitted at last. He didn't want to insult Jubilee, since she was supposed to be leading her team. And they hadn't been trained as he was, hadn't been doing this since birth, hadn't even fully mastered their powers. So he knew that this wasn't exactly a team of elite fighters.

But that was what he had come from. A team of elite fighters. A crew filled with Kree that had been specifically designed to fit each position. It was far more ordered and far more powerful in many ways — not that the X-Men didn't have power. They just… didn't seem to be able to _focus_ it.

Jubilee had one eye closed and her head tipped to the side as she considered Noh. "Yeah… that's not exactly enthusiastic, cutie."

Noh let out a breath of a laugh and then put his arm around Jubilee's shoulders. "It's simply a bit of… culture shock," he tried to explain. "It's not like any team I have ever been on."

"Yeah, well, we're not all born and bred for combat or whatever it was you told Scott," Jubilee said with a little smirk.

"That's… pretty close to it, yes," Noh admitted, though he flushed a bit when he realized that Jubilee was grinning at him with a crooked, teasing expression on her face.

"So, what's got you wound up?" Jubilee asked, popping a big pink bubble as she looked up at him.

Noh let out a soft sigh. "I… don't want to insult your team…"

"Hey," Jubilee said, one eyebrow raised, "if you totally hate it—"

"No, that's not it," he said quickly. "I _do_ want to be part of the team." He ran his free hand through his hair as he tried to find the words to explain himself. "But, Jubilee… I would much rather work with the senior team than the junior team."

"Dude, that's a _given_ ," Jubilee said, totally waving off his concerns.

"It's more than ambition," Noh said. "I want to be on a team that… well, to be blunt, Jubilee, your team isn't very disciplined, and they seem to struggle with cohesion…"

Jubilee let out a long sigh of a breath. "I guess it would be different than you're used to," she allowed. "We don't all jump straight into combat mode out of our diapers."

Noh couldn't help but laugh when he heard it. "Jubilee, I was never _in_ diapers. I told you—"

"Yeah, yeah, you grew up fast. But I'm telling you — that is just a shame. The world was deprived of baby Noh!"

Noh had to laugh at her enthusiasm. "Yes, well, the point is… we had battle tactics programmed into our minds. We were ready to go on missions from day one. I've never dealt with a team so…"

"Yeah." Jubilee bit her lip as she looked up at Noh. "You totally hate it, don't you?"

"Not _totally_ …"

"You totally hate it," Jubilee said, shaking her head. "It's okay."

"I won't give up," he promised quickly. "I know there is always a period of adjustment with any new endeavor. It wasn't so long ago that the very idea of free will was foreign to me." He gave her a little smile. "Give me time to adjust, please. I _want_ to be on this team."

"Well, that's good, at least," Jubilee said.

"How could I turn down a team where you are the leader?" Noh asked, trying to redirect the conversation with a gentle smile as he took her chin in one hand and brushed back some of her hair.

Jubilee shrugged one shoulder up, though there was no mistaking the pink hue that her cheeks had taken on. "I don't really know what you want me to say to that?"

"I wasn't trying to elicit a response other than a smile," Noh told her — which had the desired effect as she blushed and broke into a little grin despite herself.

"You say the nicest things sometimes, you know that?"

"I mean every word," Noh said. "I know what love is, Jubilee, and I would be a fool indeed if I did not express that love constantly."

Jubilee looked stunned for a long moment, simply staring up at Noh until she finally broke into a sort of surprised smile. "Is that your way of… I mean, if you're going to _say_ it, then you should just come out and say it…"

Noh smiled a little wider and brushed her hair back. "Jubilee, I thought you knew. Of course I love you," he said.

There really wasn't any other reaction she could have to that besides simply throwing her arms around his neck to kiss the sense out of him.

* * *

That weekend, Jubilee and Noh had decided to get out for a while, away from the team and the other students. So, they opted for a roller skating date, making sure to hit it on cosmic night so that the neon lights lit up the rink and pulsed to the music — which Noh seemed to absolutely love. And the fact that he could make requests of the DJ made it even better.

Jubilee couldn't help but smile up at him as they skated hand-in-hand. It hadn't taken him long to get the hang of the skates, and by halfway through the date, he was even going so far as to pick her up to spin her a few times — the result, he said, of all the training he had as well as the fact that she was light as a feather to him.

The result was of course that the two of them were skating circles around everyone else around them, and Jubilee made sure to steal a kiss before she darted off to go get a drink — and some ice cream for the two of them.

She was waiting in line when she heard snickers close by, and she narrowed her eyes when she recognized a couple teenage boys who had been in the group that had been giving her grief at the mall the other day.

Nothing that they were saying to her was entirely surprising — or creative — but it was enough to get her to send a little spark of a plasmoid their way. The sparks weren't big enough to do anything but surprise them — but someone needed to teach them a lesson in _manners_.

It definitely threw them off their rhythm of insults for a moment, and Jubilee smirked to herself as she passed them by to get her ice cream. "Jerks," she muttered under her breath.

But the interaction hadn't gone unnoticed by Noh and his enhanced hearing. Anyone who had been paying him any attention knew the moment he overheard what was going on, because he paused and narrowed his eyes, his head tipped to the side as he clearly worked out for himself what he wanted to do with these boys.

He wasn't going to let the insults stand, that was for sure. And the fact that they were repeat offenders was only further sealing their fate, in his mind. But there was the question of what his actions would do to reflect back on the X-Men as well.

He _had_ meant it when he told Jubilee that he wanted to join the team. Even if there were times that he despaired and wondered if he would ever be able to align himself to the different values, the different methods, the different training levels… the X-Men were all that he had in the universe. They were precious to him, and he didn't want to do anything that would reflect poorly on them or their ideals. He respected them too much to allow that to happen.

And yet he also knew that he loved Jubilee. He knew what love was; he'd felt it before. And so he simply couldn't deny that feeling in the middle of his chest, that rush of warmth when he looked at her. He had been open about the way he felt from the moment he kissed her, though he knew he'd had much ground to make up when he left to go to Hala.

Paige Guthrie had been an incredible source of advice for Noh since that time. She had explained that Jubilee had a history of being left behind, of being abandoned, forgotten, belittled. And so Noh was doing everything in his power to be sure that she never felt that way because of his own actions.

So to hear these young men doing that very thing, belittling her and making her out to be something less than she actually was…

It was a completely unconscious thing when Noh's lips curled back, but as soon as his lips had parted, he started an instinctual hiss, low enough that no one around them would hear it without enhanced hearing — but it also set everyone's hair on edge.

It had the effect of throwing off the people around him so that they were giving him a wide berth even as he stalked toward the boys, the hiss still reverberating around him.

The boys looked up in time to see him coming, and even though they were clearly thrown off by the sound that moved them without being able to hear it, they both wore their sneers like badges of pride. "Oh look. Another one," one of the boys said.

Noh almost laughed, which only served to make him look more off-putting when he had a nearly predatory smile on his face. "You misunderstand," he said, the hiss finally audible in his elongated s's as he approached the boys. "I am no mutant. I'm not even from this world."

The boys glanced at each other, obviously more nervous than before. "What are you even talking about, man?" asked one.

"Crazy mutie," the other agreed.

Noh allowed his predatory smile to stretch a little wider before, faster than either of them could react, he _spit_ at the two of them.

At first, both of them reacted in obvious disgust, reaching up to wipe away the sticky substance with complaints and expletives about how he was no better than an animal.

And then… their eyes unfocused, and both of them looked up at Noh, nearly cringing under his gaze as he crossed his arms. "You will apologize to my friend," he told them in no uncertain terms. "And then you will leave this establishment."

Both of the boys nodded, still with their shoulders drawn up and looking like they were waiting to be hit. They slunk away, still with those same unfocused, glazed-over looks, until they found Jubilee, who had just gotten the ice cream cones to bring back to Noh.

When she saw the two of them apparently back for more, she glared at them and stuck her nose in the air. "What, you losers back for more? I can totally take you with my hands behind my back and not drop my ice cream."

The boys paused, taking a few shuffling steps and obviously trying to fight the directive that Noh had given them, before one of them finally bit out a quiet, "Sorry."

Jubilee stared at them; she obviously hadn't been expecting that, of all things. "Come again?"

There was a bit more shuffling, and one of the boys looked over his shoulder to see Noh still standing with his arms crossed and a glare on before he swallowed and turned back to Jubilee. "We're… sorry about what we said."

Jubilee blinked at them for a moment longer before she recovered and sniffed, trying to look more imperious than surprised. "Well, good. You should be."

The boys glanced at each other, but since they had already done what they were supposed to do, they could only quietly nod Jubilee's way before they slunk off again, this time headed for the exit.

Jubilee watched them leave in obvious surprise before she finally made her way over to Noh and sat down beside him, handing her his ice cream cone. "What did you do?"

Noh shrugged lightly. "I simply adjusted their worldview," he said, though he hadn't quite let up on the sort of grim, satisfied smile, either.

Jubilee shook her head at that. "No, seriously. What did you do?"

Noh paused, suddenly wondering what Jubilee would think of his methods. He hadn't used violence to coerce the young men, but he had certainly coerced them, forced them, taken their free will. And while Noh felt that they had lost the right to exercise that will when they chose to spew hatred, he wondered now if he hadn't been a little bit rash. Hadn't he spent all this time learning what it meant to allow this universe its choices?

Still, he knew he couldn't lie to her, so he let out a long breath and gave her a softer smile. "I didn't harm them," he promised. "But…" He tipped his head to the side as he considered how best to explain it. "I am capable of mixing compounds into my saliva that cause vivid hallucinations."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Jubilee smirked at him and leaned over to steal a kiss. "Should I be concerned?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "No," he promised. "No, it's something I can control. And I would never exert that kind of influence over you, my Jubilee. You are too precious to me to risk our friendship by stooping to such methods."

Jubilee bit her lip and smiled up at him. "Okay, but now I have to wonder if you went and kissed those two idiots, because Noh, some apologies just aren't worth that!"

Noh blinked at Jubilee for a moment before he burst into a laugh. "No, nothing like that!" he assured her. "I simply spat at them."

"And that made them apologize?"

Noh nodded. "I can direct the hallucinations. It's…" He paused. "Well, it's a form of mind control, to be quite honest with you."

Jubilee bit her lip as she looked over her sweet space man. He looked almost abashed, and she knew he was probably a little worried about how she'd take the whole thing — though she wasn't sure if he was more worried about her reaction to the mind-control saliva or the fact that he'd actually used it on someone.

But if she was honest, all she could see was this sweet little alien boy who had been trying to stick up for her. So she simply leaned over and kissed his cheek with a smile. "I can handle those creeps," she told him. "I totally flicked a little sparkle their way. They nearly wet their pants."

Noh chuckled and then pulled her into an actual kiss. "Of course you can handle them. You are an X-Man."

Jubilee smirked at that. "But it's sweet that you're all… protective boyfriend."

"Well, I _am_ dating you, and I _am_ protective of you and your good name," Noh pointed out.

"And it's really cute," Jubilee said with a smile. "I can totally handle a few creeps, though, okay?"

"I never said you couldn't," Noh said, one eyebrow raised. "I simply meant to help."

"You always do," Jubilee said with a smile before she went back to her ice cream cone, still smiling up at him.

Noh let his shoulders drop a bit, relieved that she wasn't mad at his methods, before he took a bite of his own ice cream and simply smiled her way. "It's because I love you, Jubilee," he told her warmly. "You do know that, yes?"

Jubilee turned pink practically down to the roots of her hair as she nodded, halfway hiding behind her ice cream cone. "Yeah."

"Then I will continue to do everything I can to keep you safe. It's only right," Noh said, nodding to himself.

Jubilee bit her lip as she watched him finishing off his ice cream cone before she leaned over to steal a kiss that was a little bit sticky and sweet still. "You know," she said quietly, "that's part of why I love you. You're just… so sweet."

Noh smiled wider at that and offered her a hand up to her feet. "Why don't we find someplace to go together where we don't have to breathe the same air that those imbeciles were breathing?"

Jubilee couldn't help but chuckle at that as she nodded and took his hand. "Yes, let's."


	4. Surprise Attack

**Notes: Seriously, I love these two together. I love the cultural divide between them that I get to explore while at the same time playing with adorable awkward teenagers. It's a win all around!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Surprise Attack**

* * *

The senior X-Men had gone out that morning to address a rally in Southern California that was growing more and more violent — not only in the calls for mutant extermination but in actual violence as counterprotesters and rally-goers clashed in the streets.

Noh was watching the coverage on the news with a solid frown on. He had his whole focus on the broadcasts — that much was apparent by the fact that his headphones were dangling around his neck and hanging limply rather than playing any music. He seemed to have a soundtrack for just about everything now that he'd discovered his love of music, so for him to turn that music off for anything was a real indication of worry.

Jubilee sat down beside him, and even though she was worried about his focus, she couldn't help but smile when he responded by automatically rearranging himself so that he could drape his arm around her shoulders. "What are you thinking, handsome?" she asked, leaning up to steal a kiss.

Noh tipped his head toward the screen, which was playing footage of the rally. "I was thinking I want to be part of the team that responds to things like this," he said. "I was thinking your world has so much violence and chaos, and I hate that I am here and unable to do anything to stop it."

Jubilee frowned and then kissed his cheek again. "Sure you can. It's not like the junior squad doesn't go out to help too."

Noh sighed. "I know. It's unfair of me…"

"No, I get it," Jubilee said. "It's a step down. _Believe me_ , I know. I used to run with these guys, remember?" She gestured in the general direction of the hangar to indicate 'these guys'.

Noh smirked lightly at that and pulled Jubilee into a slightly tighter hug. He kissed her cheek before he murmured, "And that, my Jubilee, is part of what makes you so attractive. You are already a fighter, a warrior."

"Yeah, you're probably the only one around here who thinks that," Jubilee said, though she was smiling as she turned to wrap him up, enjoying the attention and the kisses.

"Only because I am so unburdened by such frivolous biases as the ones others seem to hold," Noh teased lightly.

"You are _so_ biased. Just in a different way," she laughed.

"Perhaps," Noh allowed, shrugging lightly. "And yet I am also right."

"I won't argue that," Jubilee agreed, standing on her tiptoes and sliding her hands up Noh's chest until they hooked around his neck.

For a long moment, the only thing that either of them was aware of was each other. They were totally lost in the kiss, their hands in each other's hair. Jubilee let out a delighted sort of laugh when Noh picked her up so he could reach her better to continue the kiss. And he probably would have carried her off and gotten carried away in a way that they hadn't yet done… if it hadn't been for the alarms that went off a moment after he'd picked her up.

He recognized the perimeter alert from when the Cuckoos had invaded the mansion, and he frowned as he and Jubilee shared a look.

"Sounds like trouble," Jubilee said.

"Yes," he said. "Let's see just what kind, shall we?" He didn't set her down, instead holding her a little tighter before he took off at a run until they reached the front lawn and could see the problem for themselves.

Already, there was a mass of soldiers descending on the school. There were helicopters and machine guns... it was clear these guys meant business. And the uniforms — black with purple accents — weren't anything that Jubilee recognized.

"And who are they?" Noh asked.

Jubilee shrugged. "No idea, but whoever they are, they're about to get their butts kicked."

Noh smirked at that as he set her down. "I love when you say things like that, my Jubilee," he said and kissed her cheek before he rushed off to go start a fight — leaving a blushing but definitely pleased Jubilee to rush after him a moment later.

* * *

The X-Men had very nearly cleaned up after dealing with the rally they'd gone to deal with when they got a call for help from Charles — and the whole team was on edge, because Charles wasn't answering, and neither was anyone at the school. At all.

They had no idea what they'd be flying into, but when they got to the school… or what was left of the school… Scott couldn't land the jet fast enough. Storm and Bobby simply got out of the jet in the air to get down to the ground faster to start sifting through the rubble.

And the reports just… weren't good.

Once the rest of the team got on the ground, they could see it for themselves: the school was a mess, and the first person to find what they were all scared to find was Remy, who had managed to shift part of a wall to find Angelo.

The young man wasn't doing well, as evidenced by the fact that he hardly cried out when Remy shifted the rest of the partially collapsed wall off of him ... and the story was similar throughout the school. Injured kids, destroyed walls...

As the team started to search, Jean concentrated hard on Charles, searching for any sign of him and only frowning deeper and deeper as she could find no trace of him. "I need to get to Cerebro," she said, almost to herself, as she looked at the damage all around her.

And while she began moving debris blocking her path, Logan was locked onto a familiar scent trail — accented with splatters of blood and bodies of what he supposed passed for soldiers. The bulk of them had deep stab wounds or slash marks, and those that didn't showed clear sign of intense physical trauma anyhow. Whatever had happened... whoever these blacked out soldiers were, they were in enough of a rush that they didn't bother picking up their lost numbers.

The trail let to — or from — Charles' study, where there was the entrance to a series of tunnels that acted as emergency exits that spilled out almost half a mile away into the woods near a cave system on the property. K had stayed behind because they always left a team member in case of emergency, but now, Logan was irritated as he found he wished he'd been there _with_ her...

Logan stood there in the study for a long moment, trying to sift through the massive number of scents available to him in the closed up room. He headed to the emergency exits but could find little sign of anyone actually having _used_ them — and there was no trace of Charles or K anywhere near them.

He swallowed hard and hit the comm. "I think we got a few that took the tunnels, Slim. Maybe three or four." Logan didn't wait for a response before he started out at a metered pace that only quickened the further from the office he got, backtracking the scent trail that so clearly was K and Charles.

The trail went in nearly a straight line, and even in the low light — now that he knew he was on a trail — he could see where the grass was trampled down by heavy boots as the trail went right past the horse barn. He was nearly at a full run when he caught a glimpse of Noh — impaled on a fence post. He glared down the trail, and then up to the house, where he knew everyone was far too occupied to deal with the situation at hand.

Logan let out a little growl and headed over to Noh with one claw extended. "You gonna bleed to death if I cut this thing and yank it out, or you just want it cut?"

Noh shook his head lightly, looking a bit paler than usual. "I can't heal when it's there," he explained in a strained voice, and Logan saw now that the way the post had gone through his spine, even as flexible as Noh was… there was no way he'd be able to get to it without help.

Logan nodded and, with a quick flick of his wrist, sliced through the length of metal and yanked the boy to his feet — and off the bent post.

Already, Noh was starting to heal, but that wasn't his first concern as he looked to Logan. "Jubilee was with them ... I was trying ... I couldn't get to them..." he said, though it was clear he was dizzy from blood loss and trauma.

"Who did they have?" Logan asked. "How long ago was this?"

"Two hours," Noh said. "They have Jubilee. And Charles ... and K…"

Logan gestured up to the house. "Go. Tell Scott."

The young man nodded quickly before he took a deep breath, tilted his head sideways, and simply took off running, leaving a slight trail of blood in his wake, since he was still healing.

As soon as Noh headed toward the mansion, Logan broke out at a run down the trail, determined to catch up — though Scott didn't need the comms to hear the amount of swearing that came through shortly after when Logan came up against an entire acre that had been pepper bombed.

They weren't having much luck on their end, either. Noh had been able to identify the missing team members, but he didn't know who the soldiers answered to. And the security footage that survived was enough to tell them that the soldiers had managed to get an inhibitor up to stop Charles just about the same time they got the message from him. K had gotten through the soldiers all the way to his office, but seeing as the soldiers already had Charles, she'd surrendered to save his life — and if Noh's account was anything to go by, they'd simply picked up Jubilee on the way out when she and Noh had tried to stop them.

"Let me come with you," Noh said, one hand on his still healing stomach. "This cannot stand."

Scott considered the condition of everyone involved and quickly nodded his agreement. "It's all hands on deck."

"Good." Noh nodded. "I would have gone nonetheless — they have Jubilee."

Jean didn't say anything, but she couldn't help but smirk when she heard that. Even with everything that was going on around them, there was something… sweet and comforting about how determined Noh was and how _deeply_ he cared about Jubilee that he'd be willing to throw himself into anything for her.

"As soon as Jean can find Charles, we're leaving," Scott swore, ignoring Jean's look for the moment, though she was sure when she pointed out to him what he'd missed by focusing on the mission and not the teenager in front of him, he'd agree with her assessment of how sweet it was. "In the meantime, I need to catch Logan before he runs into the ground."

As it turned out, Scott found Logan trying to hound dog it on foot, looking around the edge of the pepper bombed acre. He was pacing and trying to find a trail that just wasn't there, trying to make it happen even though rationally he knew it was a dead trail.

"Logan, Jean's already looking," Scott called out. "We need to get back so we can leave as soon as she gets a location."

He glanced up at him and then turned to look deeper into the woods beyond the clearing, obviously still not wanting to go in where he had nothing to _do._

Scott let out a sigh and then caught up to Logan to grab his shoulder with one hand. "They're not here."

"I know that," he growled back. "Just can't sit there and wait."

"Then come back and help us with the kids. Not everyone bounces back after you cut a fence post out of them, you know."

Logan gave him a dry look and let out a breath. "I'll go check the end of the tunnel. See if those kids came through or not." He shrugged Scott's hand off his shoulder and broke into a run toward where the caves and the end of the tunnel was.

Scott shook his head — but at least he knew Logan wasn't running in circles. He made his way back to the others, but it was still some time before anything came through — and it wasn't what they were expecting.

"Charles reached out," Jean said, levitating up to where the group was gathered. "I know where they are."

"Then what we waitin' for?" Remy asked, pointing with his bo staff toward the blackbird, which was more invitation than any of them needed. They were already in motion.

Most of them were loading up when Scott turned Jean's way, but before he could ask her to reach out to Logan, she just nodded. "It was a dead end; he's on the way."

Scott nodded at that. He understood Logan's frustration — after all, he wanted the others back too, and that was _Charles_ they were looking for — but sometimes, it was nice to have his wife around to help him deal with the inevitable frustration when Logan pushed too far.

Or, thankfully, in this case, to call him back in before it got to that point

* * *

The X-Men in the jet were anxious to get going as they approached the coordinates that Jean had received from Charles, though even with as ready as they were to get after their friends, they were smart enough to be on their guard. Especially since Jean hadn't been able to contact Charles again since the last point of contact.

It seemed like the kind of place that captive mutants would be taken, though — far removed from everyone else, over in North Dakota. Though it was also the perfect spot for an ambush for all the same reasons.

But they were going in anyway.

They were barely off the backbird when their suspicions were confirmed — and there was only a second's warning before an explosion knocked all of them off their feet, destroying the jet in the process as a swarm of Sentinels rushed in.

Immediately, the X-Men rushed into action to take out the Sentinels. Bobby iced up, Remy's cards flashed, Storm called on the winds, and Jean was just reaching out with one hand to toss the Sentinels aside when she was hit with a psychic attack that felt shockingly familiar.

And while Jean's defenses meant she was able to fight back and wasn't immediately overwhelmed, Noh only lasted for a few seconds before the bright pink bubble in his mindscape simply popped — and a moment later, he'd slammed into Remy. For as much progress as he'd been making in his telepathic defenses, he _was_ still a beginner, and this attack felt almost targeted, going right for his weakest points. There was nothing he could do to stop himself.

Storm spun to face the fight and was just about to call down the winds to push Noh back away from the unconscious Remy before he could do any more damage when something hit her, encasing her in a gel that constricted her — and she immediately began to panic at the tightening space around her.

So Bobby stepped in to blast Noh back, freezing him to the spot. He spun to face the other Sentinels and iced up another two before they flanked him, hitting him with some kind of energy that dried him out. Fast. He could feel his lips cracking before he finally passed out from overheating.

Noh broke free of the ice and turned his sights on Kurt, who was teleporting between Sentinels fast, but he got an opportunity when one of the Sentinels managed to get in a good enough shot to stun Kurt. In a flash, Noh was there to knock Kurt out, stepping back as the Sentinels swarmed the last two X-Men and simply surrendering himself as the fight focused on Scott and Logan.

Scott was working hard, blasting Sentinels as fast as they could line up in front of him, but for sheer numbers, he wasn't going to be able to keep it up. And Logan was letting out a measure of his rage alongside him — slicing and stabbing and slashing anyone that got too close, clearly wrapped up in his rage….

At least until the sentinels swarmed the two of them heavily enough to separate them. Logan was so distracted he didn't seem to notice it, and Scott … Scott was running out of power. He had just turned to warn Logan about the Omega Sentinel coming up behind him — and shoot it away from his feral teammate — when he was hit from behind by a concussive grenade and knocked out completely.

It wasn't long after that when Logan finally realized he was surrounded — and alone in the fight. He snarled and turned a slow circle, trying to find a weak spot in the barrage of Sentinels around him, but it just wasn't there. He took a quick couple of steps but didn't make it any further before they simply opened fire on him from all directions and shot him to tatters.

* * *

Jubilee had been hooked up to a ridiculous machine that scanned her thoughts and projected them on a screen for Bastion and his creepy assistant to look through, so she had spent most of her time there doing her level best to concentrate on fashion. And bubble gum. And the Order of Operations that she simply could not remember the order of. But there was just no way … _no way_ she was going to let this bottom feeding loser see how to take down the X-Men. No way, no how, nuh-uh. _Nope._

Yeah, she was tired, and worn, and her muscles ached from holding up the heavy rig … but she couldn't risk falling asleep and dreaming when she couldn't control her thoughts and emotions. Not with the crap videos they'd been making her watch to try to break her down. As if she believed for one second that this loser could _break_ Charles Xavier. Or … or that he actually had K _crying and begging for them to stop_. That was just ridiculous.

So she absolutely wasn't going to believe it when she saw the X-Men come in after supposedly being 'captured.' That was _so fake_.

Except … the overly done and very ugly helmet on Scott … that … that looked almost believable if they wanted to bring him in. And the locked-jaw expression that she could see on what little was visible of his face as they dragged them in …

Storm's eyes were closed tight, and she was on the verge of completely hyperventilating. Remy and Jean were collared and being carried in, Kurt ... they had freakin' _catch poles_ on Kurt so they could lead him in without risking a hit by the tail that was whipping back and forth like he just wanted a chance to try.

Bobby was completely de-iced and looked nearly too weak to stand — which would explain the soldiers dragging him in by his elbows just ahead of Noh, who was wearing what amounted to blinders and a band on his head that Bastion kindly explained was being used to interrupt his receptors to the point of being docile.

And Logan … Logan was bound hand and foot and being rolled in on a cart, and he wasn't moving. At all. Jubilee watched as the guards that were letting the captured X-Men into the compound took a moment to look him over — and she very nearly lost her balance when she heard the guy say something about 'disposing' of him.

"Save the cuffs," One of them said clearly. "No reason to waste the equipment when you toss him in the incinerator."

And that… that was enough to send Jubilee into a panic.

She was trying hard not to lose it. She didn't want this idiot to have the _satisfaction_. But this was too real. This wasn't like those unrealistic visions they'd been pumping into her before.

And if it was real…

She couldn't lose her Wolvie. She just couldn't.

But she also couldn't do anything but watch as her friends were shoved, pushed, and led down the hall. Or, at least, she couldn't do anything _yet_.

That was the only thing she could hang onto as she watched her friends. _Yet_. She was _going_ to find a way to get them out of there. And she was _going_ to save Logan, like she always did.

 _Typical,_ she thought. _I'm always saving their butts._

And then, because she knew they were monitoring her thoughts, she pushed that aside and instead focused on the kiss she knew she was going to get from Noh when this was all through. She was looking forward to seeing what a "thank you for rescuing me" kiss looked like from him.

That was a much better thing to think about than… anything else, really. And it was something she _wanted_ to think about, not intel or details that Bastion kept trying to force from her.

So there.


	5. Rescue Operation

**Chapter 5: Rescue Operation**

But while the guards were convinced that Logan was down for the count, that turned out to be the key mistake to turn things around for the X-Men.

Logan started to rouse just as they were starting up the incineration process. It didn't take long for him to break loose, since the cuffs were gone. A quick _snikt_ later had him cutting through the door of the furnace and bursting out — the move in itself scaring the hell out of the guard there on duty even without the whole … smoking clothing thing going on. He jumped one of the guards and was sure to steal the uniform and the credentials before he headed down the hall at an easy pace, following the scent trail back to where the others had been.

Of course, the place was a hell of a lot bigger than he'd expected — and there were levels upon levels that the elevators serviced, which really just left him at a supreme disadvantage on where to go next. With his head down, he listened hard and headed toward the service elevators where the trail led... and for the first time hit a little bit of a break in his search. Thankfully, they hadn't gotten too far.

Apparently, once Kurt had heard the order they'd given, he went into total 'fight' and was making life incredibly hard for his captors. He'd somehow managed to snake one of the poles from them and was using it almost like a sword, though obviously, without a cutting edge, he was dealing out a large amount of battering blows for anyone stupid enough to get within his reach.

But the guards seemed reluctant to admit they'd lost control, and one of them even looked relieved when Logan started to rush their way, sure that backup had come even without the call. One of them let out an honest breath — and then stumbled backward when Logan's claws came out and sliced through the remaining bars on his way to grab the guy in charge of Kurt.

"Where are the rest of them?" Logan snarled out to the man as Kurt freed himself from their ridiculous restraints.

The guy wasn't nearly so smug when both of them were out of the cuffs, and his eyes were wide, but he managed a sneer all the same. "Got a cell for each of you, freaks."

Logan narrowed his eyes and popped a claw through a pressure point a few inches over his heart. "Is it really worth dying for? Slow?"

The guy let out a little whimper that just couldn't be stopped. "Fifteen floors down."

"Is that where all of 'em are?"

"Everyone that came in."

"What about the others?" Logan asked.

"That's everyone," the guy promised, shifting in Logan's grasp.

"That was actually helpful," Logan said, though he was speaking to Kurt now. "He was upfront, but he also had a little nasty attitude to start. So it's either quick or let this one walk. I need an unbiased judge, Elf. Whadda ya think?"

Kurt still looked furious as he stepped forward. "I'd say our friends deserve our time more than this one."

"Quick then," Logan said with a growl before he shifted his angle and twisted hard before he turned and tipped his chin toward the elevator. "Matter of time anyhow. Let's go."

Kurt nodded and teleported the two of them to the elevator to speed things along a bit, though once the elevator was moving, he simply hugged Logan. "I'm glad to see you alive, _mein Freund_."

"What were you expectin'?" Logan said with a frown. "Not the first time you've seen me play dead."

"You were not playing," he pointed out.

"I was," he argued. "If I'm standing here, I was."

Kurt shook his head at his friend. "We'll need to grab some water for Bobby; he's completely dehydrated, and I don't want to carry him when I could be stabbing soldiers."

"Can't let anything get in the way of a good stabbin'."

"On that, we can always agree."

Once the two of them got down to the floor in question, they split up to take on the different heavily fortified cells — which had obviously been individualized for the occupants. Kurt went right to the smallest one, knowing that their favorite weather goddess would be there, so that he could pull Storm out of the enclosed space.

For Logan's part, he simply started slicing through bars and walls to open whatever he could — and he wasn't surprised to find Scott and Jean in opposite cells, though Scott was clearly worn from trying to hold up the heavy device he was wearing just to keep upright. "How about you don't move too much for a minute, Slim?"

Scott sat up a little straighter. "How'd you get out? Did you find the others?"

"You can take a look for yourself in a second if you'll let me get rid of the bucket on your head."

"I won't complain if it looks less like a bucket when you're done."

Logan took a moment to look over the heavy device before he popped a claw and sliced through the hinges. As soon as the metal hinge hit the floor, he and Scott both worked to get it pulled apart and _off_ of him. "Kurt went the other way."

"Did you find the professor?"

"No, not yet," Logan replied. "We got a few here to deal with first."

Scott nodded and got to his feet. "Where's Jean?"

"Across the way, I'm looking for the others — whenever you two get around to it," Logan said before he headed out of the cell and deeper into the dungeon like floor, past where Kurt was helping Bobby to sit down with a stolen canteen from one of the guards.

When Logan found K, she was in the middle of a cell, on her knees, with her hands behind her back and a collar with a short chain that attached to the floor, and it didn't take any time at all for him to get her cut loose quickly, though for however long she'd been in that position, she was stiff enough that it just hurt to move anything.

"I don't know where they are," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck — more for support than anything else. "Their stupid machine didn't work right on me, so …"

Logan shook his head and moved to sweep her up and head back toward the others. "She's the last one that was down that way. Charlie and Jubes gotta be somewhere else."

"I can find them if we can get past the telepathic shield on this level," Jean said.

"Do the guards know where they are?" Noh asked, shaking out the remains of what had been the band on his head from a closed fist.

"Not the one I interrogated," Logan said as K finally got him to set her on her feet again.

"Then we'll just have to tear the place apart," Noh said.

"No time for that," K told him. "They're manufacturing Sentinels here. Stockpiling them. We'll never make it out."

"Then up and out's our best option," Scott said. "We'll clear an exit, and once we find the others, we'll detour." He turned to Kurt. "Nightcrawler, go with Jean and Logan — that's our best bet to find Charles and Jubilee. We'll clear the path out for you so you can just get _out_ once you've got them."

"I'd like to go with them," Noh said. "I'm a quick interrogator."

"I'm sure Logan can handle that fine — or Jean for that matter," Scott replied.

"Oh, come on," K said, with a tone that illustrated how over this whole mess she was. "He wants to help Jubilee. Let him." She turned to Logan and kissed him before he could argue it at all. "I expect time when we get out of here."

Scott paused when he saw the smirk Jean was wearing too and shook his head. "Fine. Let me know when you find them," he said before the rest of the X-Men simply took off, ready to blast their way out.

For the moment, the rescue squad had no better options than to just go on a floor-by-floor search, though that was sped along by the powerset in play between the four of them, with Noh and Kurt able to go quickly through each level, and Logan could tell whether or not the others had even visited the floor, while Jean did a mental sweep of the guards to see if they knew where their missing friends were.

They finally got a break on one level where one of the guards had seen Charles — and knew that he was on the top floor. Which meant that the "up and out" plan was the most pressing as Jean reached out to Scott to see how close they were to breaking through.

The fight _out_ was precisely that. The search for Charles and Jubilee had tipped off the guards that there was trouble, but they hadn't fired up the Sentinels yet thanks in large part to a small case of EMP grenades that had been used against the computer system that was used to fire them up. Remy had managed to nick them and had a few more tucked away in his coat pockets in case of emergency.

It really was a matter of digging themselves out, with the other X-Men fighting the guards away from the combined efforts of Remy and Scott blasting their way out. Scott was practically drilling a path for them, and Remy was blowing up far more than just cards, stretching a bit as entire sections of wall would glow pink and then blow apart.

Storm, who was still struggling with the sensation of being trapped underground, was being kept in the middle of the group as K covered Scott's back. Bobby had regained enough juice to freeze patches of ground solid or ice up the weapons being aimed at them.

But for as hard as they were fighting, they weren't making enough of a dent until — all at once — the blast doors opened on their own. _Jean, we've got a path out, but I don't know for how long. Now's the time,_ Scott called out telepathically.

 _We know where they are; we'll be there as soon as we have them,_ Jean replied. She and the rest of the rescue crew were just up to the top floor, but the security there was intense.

But considering the way the guards were concentrated, they were pretty sure they knew where their remaining friends were being kept. And then when Noh and Logan both could hear behind one of the closed doors that someone was shouting insults...

"Jubilee is in there," Noh said, his head tipped to the side before he got a funny look on his face and simply burst forward and started to _tear_ through the guards between them and the center of the security.

He was moving faster than they had seen him move before, and it was devastating to everything in his path. _There is no killer. Killing is accomplished, that is all. No distractions are permitted,_ was the mantra running through his mind.

 _Scott,_ Jean projected out. _Noh is in a trance of sorts. And he's being incredibly … efficient._ She frowned at their young friend for a moment before she reached out for other minds around them. _I think … I can sense Charles too._

 _Whatever you're going to do, do it fast. They're firing up the Sentinels,_ came Scott's response, sounding stressed even over the link.

"Crap," Jean muttered before she turned to Logan and Kurt. "We need to hurry this along and get out. The Sentinels are ready to go, and if we don't get down there to help them fast, they're toast."

Kurt nodded and looked past them just in time to see the explosion as Noh decided the door was too slow — which gave him a clear line of sight to teleport Logan and Jean into the room beyond that.

Inside, there was a large array of computers and screens monitoring the battle with the X-Men. Bastion himself was looking furious, and it looked like he'd just hit Jubilee, who was tightly restrained and had some kind of device on her head. Charles was similarly stuck nearby, collared to keep him from calling out for help and in the middle of a lot of technology as well.

Charles was closer to the senior X-Men, but they didn't need to worry overmuch about the rest of the soldiers in the room with the state Noh was in. The young man simply crashed into Bastion — away from Jubilee — and the group heard a muffled explosion several yards away several moments later, so they just focused on cutting Jubilee and Charles out of the technology holding them captive. Logan had scooped up Jubilee into a tight hug as soon as she was freed, though Jubilee still looked upset and was watching the fight over his shoulder even as she clutched on tight.

When Bastion made a rush for Noh, Noh didn't even hesitate before he drove his hand deeply into the man's chest. A moment later, he'd stepped back just far enough that he didn't explode with Bastion — but with five nails in there deep, there really wasn't anything left of the man, and the force was enough to knock Noh back off his feet and finally break whatever concentration he had.

All at once, the kid looked totally exhausted and barely picked his head up from the floor to see the Jubilee was with Logan before he put his head back down. "Alright ... what is left to do?" he asked softly.

"Gotta get out — quicker the better," Logan said over Jubilee's shoulder.

"Right." Noh got to his feet, fairly bloody, though it was hard to tell what was his — not that that was unfamiliar to them in the present company. "Who can I carry?"

"I can teleport several," Kurt said. "Or make several ports... But I think, all things considered, we'd be wise to stick together as a group." He gestured to Charles. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind?"

Noh simply nodded and tipped his head Charles' way. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"Not at all," Charles replied. "Please."

With that, Kurt simply teleported the others out — though Noh wasn't far behind, with Jean guiding him on where to go. And once they met up with the others and Scott saw that they were there, he directed the group _out_ , reaching for his visor to remove it. "Let's see them recover from this," he muttered, simply pouring the last of his optic blast on the Sentinels before they rushed off.

"Yes, you're a magnificent specimen," K muttered back so she knew he could hear it.

Scott shot her a dry look. "Bought us time, didn't I?"

"I … was being sincere," she countered.

"It's hard to tell with you," he shot back.

"Not when I'm talking about the pretty, it's not."

Scott shook his head at her, but he didn't say anything. Not when his focus needed to be on getting the group out into the desert — away from the facility that seemed to be on the other side of the country from their initial wild goose chase.

They kept running until they were a fair distance out and simply _needed_ the break, exhausted after the whole ordeal and the fight afterward. Thankfully, they'd managed to find some caves that were at least some kind of shelter so they could get their breath and take stock of each other.

Kurt and Ororo were taking care of each other; Ororo was feeling much better aboveground and after having taken out so many of the soldiers, so it was her turn to look after her "little brother" this time. Logan was still holding onto Jubilee in a snuggle — both of them concerned for each other — and K was on his other shoulder, resting in appearance at least but definitely keeping an eye out. Bobby and Remy were looking out while Jean and Scott put their heads together on what to do next, and Noh set Charles down with a murmured apology for all the blood on his clothes that was now on Charles.

"It's really the very least of my worries right now, Noh," Charles said gently. "Thank you." He looked up at the young man with a soft smile. "Are you terribly hurt?"

Noh looked down at himself and seemed almost to assess his injuries right there on the spot. "I just need to eat, that's all," he said before he glanced back up at Charles. "If I'd been able to kill them without you seeing, I would have. I'm sorry."

Charles looked surprised for a moment. "Noh, you used the force that was necessary in this particular case, and though I don't endorse killing as a means of finishing a mission … I have to admit, we would not have gotten out alive ourselves otherwise." He leaned a little closer. "And not even I have perfectly clean hands."

This time, it was Noh's turn to look surprised, almost stunned, before he smiled and nodded. "Then… I am not that sorry," he said, the smile widening a bit. "It was the best way I could save you and Jubilee."

Charles gave him a tired smile and leaned back against the wall of the cave, obviously worn out himself from the ordeal. "It seems that I should be apologizing to all of you as well," Charles said a bit louder. "They would not have known how to attack if not for all that they'd managed to extract from me."

"We can work on your ability to stand up to an interrogation later, Charles," K muttered with a little smirk.

"None of us blames you, professor," Scott added quickly.

K couldn't help but smile a little wider at Scott's addendum before she started tearing up the uniform Logan was wearing. "Noh, let me wrap some of that up for you."

"It would do more help if I ate the strips," Noh said with a shrug. "I have to feed the healing first before it can kick in. Anything organic."

"You're not familiar with the flora and fauna around here. And when I step out to hunt and gather, I don't want to bring back anything toxic for the others," she explained.

He watched her for a second and then let out a sigh and nodded. "Alright."

She got to her feet and made her way over to him, frowning as soon as she saw some of the worst of it. She held her breath and reached up to gingerly pull at the fabric near his shoulder that was bloodstained and pressing up oddly. "Noh … is this bone?" She didn't exactly wait for him to reply before cutting open the tattered uniform and just staring at the answer. "Noh…"

He met her gaze looking as if it was perfectly normal. "Go ahead — you can't hurt me," he said, totally misreading her concern.

"Honey, that's not ... " She shook her head lightly. "This needs to be set. How …"

"Probably in the explosion when I blew Bastion to bits," he said. "Go ahead. Like I said, it won't hurt. I don't feel it right now."

"Stardust, how do you not feel that?" K gestured for him to lie down so she could get the right angle all the same.

"It's straightforward, really. Just reroute pain to the audio cortex. It's quite loud in my head right now," he explained.

"Which is shorthand for 'it hurts — a lot,'" she said, shaking her head before she took a moment and guessed how to pull things for the bone to go back to where it belonged. K started bandaging him up quickly with the strips of fabric after that and then put her hand on the center of his chest. "Stay down. At least until you're healed up enough to allow your pain receptors to work right again."

"I can still help," he argued.

"Not if I break your legs and make you stay down," she argued right back. "Heal. I'll get you something to eat."

"Best not to argue with her," Kurt said with a smirk. "Especially when she's right."

K got to her feet and gave Logan a little squeeze as she passed him to disappear into the desert, leaving the others behind to wait — though after only a moment, Jubilee made her way over to Noh to take his hand and sit with him.

It was silent in the cave for a long time after that. Everyone was too exhausted to put forward any effort to speak — and too relieved to be out of Bastion's grasp to care about much else.


	6. Practice What You Preach

**Notes: This one hasn't been getting much love lately, but I promise I haven't forgotten about it! I just keep getting distracted by other fun things! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Practice What You Preach**

* * *

While it was a relief to be home, the X-Men couldn't simply collapse in exhaustion once they arrived in Westchester — not when their home was still wrecked and the students needed attention as well.

Hank had his hands full dealing with Angelo — who was at least more stable than he had been when they left — but a few of the older kids and teachers who had stayed behind to help were attending to the rest of the student body. It seemed that there wasn't one person in the whole group who had managed to avoid getting hurt — whether it was simple bruises or more substantial cuts.

"We'll have to clear this," Scott said when he saw the mess that had been made of their home. He sounded tired, though he was trying to hide that exhaustion for everyone else's sake.

"If we can clear everyone… I can offer some explosive help. Or high-speed, if you don't want to start from the beginning," Noh offered.

But before Scott could respond to the offer, he was distracted when much of the metal in the rubble started to move, and then a lot of the rubble cleared itself in short order, announcing Magneto's arrival long before the man in the cape and helmet himself landed nearby.

Erik frowned over the obvious destruction — and over the state of the X-Men themselves and Charles in particular. "I was concerned when I heard the reports of Sentinels attacking your home, but had I known the destruction was this…" He trailed off, gesturing to the rubble and letting the destruction speak for itself.

"To be honest, my old friend," Charles said in a tired tone, "I'm glad you were not there. I'm afraid our captors were using my own knowledge against us. I'd hate for that to be turned against you as well."

Erik frowned at that. "What happened?" he asked, his tone softening as he considered Charles.

"An ambush," Charles explained simply. "They were far more prepared than we are."

"They must have been," Erik agreed, frowning harder, "to have used _you_ , old friend."

"Yes, well." Charles shook his head. "Thankfully, that's behind us."

"Perhaps." Erik looked over the rubble before he said, without looking Charles' way, "If you would strike first, strike them down, this would not happen. How long do you suppose you have before they return?"

"They won't," Charles said.

"Charles, you have always been optimistic to a fault, but—"

"The man is dead, Erik."

Erik didn't bother to hide his surprise as he turned Charles way. "That doesn't sound like you," he said, though he was only just keeping the obvious interest and slightly smug tone out of his voice. "And it especially doesn't sound like your disciples."

Charles let out a long sigh, though it was obvious he was keeping his silence. The last thing he wanted to do was to encourage Erik to start pressing his X-Men all over again, especially when they were all still reeling from the attack on their home. And he especially didn't want to subject Noh to that pressure when the young man was still feeling so very vulnerable.

After all, Charles could hear the self-doubt creeping into Noh's mind. He had been working so hard to build up his mental defenses — only to have them burst yet again by outside forces. Add to that the fact that he felt like he had broken his promises to the X-Men with his conduct, and Noh was in a delicate place, starting to revert back to his old ways of thinking as a defense.

Charles didn't want Erik to take advantage of that.

Not that it would have been difficult for Erik to determine who had done the most damage. Even if all of the X-Men were bloody and bruised and tired and in some way marked by the battle, it was no surprise to see that Logan and K were wearing plenty of evidence of battle… as was Noh.

Erik let out an interested sort of noise before he made his way over to the young man — who was lending his enhanced strength to the task of dealing with the remains of their old home.

"It seems you've all been through a terrible ordeal," Erik said mildly.

Noh looked up at Erik with a frown before he inclined his head by way of acknowledgement. "Unfortunately, it seems our enemies know only too well how to divide us and take advantage of any weaknesses they can find," he said, though it didn't escape Erik's notice that the young man had moved almost in front of Jubilee. It was a clearly protective move, and one that caught Erik's interest.

He had noticed the candy before and surmised the relationship, but it was interesting to see how quickly and how deeply it had formed.

"That, my young friend, is what happens in war," Erik said.

"I know," Noh said simply. "I've seen many wars — on many worlds."

"Then you know that there are so rarely rules — and those that are in place are broken."

"I have seen that, yes," Noh said, and Erik didn't miss the way the young man narrowed his eyes, his fingers drumming irritatedly against his side. "They do not abide by the same rules of engagement as the X-Men. And that makes them that much worse — especially because my friends are peacekeepers."

Erik raised one eyebrow. "And you don't include yourself in that group."

"I'm still learning," Noh said. He tipped his head to the side as he studied Erik. "And you? Have you also been attacked and come to ask aid?"

Erik couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Nothing like that. My strongholds are safe — because I know what it takes to keep them that way."

"If that is the case, then what brings you here?"

Erik gestured at the destruction all around them. "I came here because I saw the reports of your destruction," he said. "I know you have been told how much I disagree with the X-Men, but that doesn't mean I want to see Charles and his children wiped from the face of the world by a madman."

"Yeah, you'd rather do it yourself," Jubilee said, her eyes narrowed.

Erik frowned at her for that before he shook his head. "As always, I would rather see mutantkind advancing. That includes the X-Men."

Jubilee harrumphed, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, screaming with her body language just how much she didn't believe Erik, before she turned to Noh and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, handsome. The company here just got a lot more _dull_."

Noh smirked at her and pulled an arm around her shoulder, though before he could leave, Erik stopped him once more: "Should you ever find that you tire of following the X-Men and their unrealistic dreams, my door is open."

Noh frowned, especially when Jubilee glanced up at him with an angry sort of look at the implication that he might leave. He met her gaze before he turned back to face Erik. "Should _you_ ever find that you apply your philosophy _reasonably_ , then I will consider entertaining your offer."

Erik's eyes narrowed at that. "What—"

"You say you search for the best, and yet the best are to be found with the X-Men. So you champion the dregs and those who have no honor instead." Noh shook his head. "Either stand for what you say you stand for or join the X-Men and suffer the difference of opinion. But what you are doing now is neither."

Erik was obviously taken aback by Noh's viewpoint — and then he switched to sneering at the young man. "Ignorance."

Noh tipped his chin up. "No. Practicality. I may not agree with the methodology, but the philosophy is sound. And I would rather be hampered by too much caution in pursuit of peace than not enough caution in pursuit of the advancement of _dereliction_."

Erik narrowed his eyes at that. "I see," he said simply before he turned on his heels to leave. "Good luck picking up the pieces of the results of your _philosophy_ ," he said over his shoulder as he floated out — loud enough that Charles heard it as well and was left shaking his head.

Jubilee, meanwhile, took Noh's arm, a smile wide on her face. "You tell 'im, Noh," she said, obviously proud as she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Noh smirked her way and pulled her into an actual kiss. "Can you blame me? I feel I must call out egregious nonsense."

"Totally agreed," Jubilee said, letting out a little laugh.

Noh smiled and pulled his arm around her shoulder, though he was quiet for a long moment. "He is not wrong, you know."

Jubilee let out a noise from the back of her throat. "Oh, Noh, you were doing so well until just then…"

He held up a hand. "No, listen to me," he said. "We just saw what can happen when threats are left unchecked and given too many chances to redeem themselves." He let out a sigh. "I believe in the people here, Jubilee. But you are all too hesitant."

Jubilee frowned and made it a point to wrap her arm around his middle so she could snuggle in a little better. "This… this was a spectacularly bad example of the worst that could go wrong. So not fair to use it as a metric."

"Is not the point of having a plan to put it in place for exactly when the worst things happen?" Noh pointed out gently. "You are all supposed to be fighters. You may be warriors for justice, but that does not mean you should limit yourself in _every_ case." He tipped his head lower. "I tried to apologize to Charles for killing Bastion, and he wouldn't have it. I know for a fact that even he can see the value of breaking from your rules of engagement on occasion."

"Not all the time, though. Not like Magneto wants to run things," Jubilee pointed out gently.

"No," Noh agreed. "And that's not what I'm advocating. I understand why you do things the way you do." He looked toward where Magneto had vanished and paused. "But he's not wrong."

"Noh…"

"Jubilee, I promise you, I've given my loyalty to the X-Men," Noh told her honestly. "There is nothing that can change that. You mean too much to me."

"But…"

"But even I have to admit that Magneto's philosophy more closely mirrors the one I grew up with," Noh said with a sigh. "I believe that there are more superior genes worth advancing — and if he were to actually choose those _superior_ mutants for his team, I would help him."

Jubilee let out a sigh and shook her head. "And who says who's superior?" she challenged Noh, looking him squarely in the eye. "Because if you go by what _some_ people say, then that leaves me and a few other people out of things."

"That's not—"

"It _is_ ," Jubilee said evenly, not about to drop Noh's gaze. "You can make all the arguments you want, but I hear it every day. I _know_ where that goes. And who's going to decide which mutants are good enough, huh? You? Magneto?"

"I—"

"When are you going to get it through that thick, beautiful head of yours that things are different here?" Jubilee asked, though she had gone from a serious tone to one that was more teasing as she pulled on his hand to get him to duck closer so she could kiss his cheek. "Come on, handsome. I know you're not _slow_."

"I most certainly am _not_ ," Noh said, drawing himself up a little taller at the insinuation.

Jubilee couldn't help but laugh to herself, especially since she'd _known_ that was the best way to get Noh out of his head. She was really starting to get a handle on the right kind of buttons to push, and if she was honest, she thought he was pretty darn cute when he would get all… huffy. "You totally are, starshine," she giggled.

Noh shook his head, though it seemed for the moment that Jubilee had defused him anyway, and he switched from arguing to sweeping her up in his arms with a smile. "You really must stop saying such ridiculous things, my Jubilee," he teased.

"Oh yeah?" Jubilee raised an eyebrow as she rearranged herself in his arms, with her hands around his neck and a huge smile on. "What are you going to do about it if I don't?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can come up with something," Noh said, pulling her into a long and involved kiss that didn't break until both of them needed to come up for air.

 _Not that you two aren't both adorable, but you can't_ take _it anywhere right now,_ Jean projected to Jubilee — though the pure glee was evident even in her telepathic voice.

 _You're no fun._

 _Hey, I'm just saying. I'm_ not _complaining. But I can't tell you two to get a room when… well…_

 _Yeah, got it. No rooms._

 _We'll try to work fast. Just for you,_ Jean teased.

 _You're terrible._

 _Yep!_ Jean replied without a hint of remorse before she went back to whatever she was doing before she butted in on their business — probably flirting with Scott, Jubilee was pretty sure.

"What were you talking about?" Noh asked with a smile. When Jubilee looked his way, he laughed. "You had a look of concentration. I assumed it was a telepathic conversation."

Jubilee raised an eyebrow and then smirked. "Jean's _so_ not subtle," she replied.

"And?"

Jubilee shook her head. "And she pointed out we can't get privacy when the whole place is…" She gestured around them.

"Oh, if that's the case, why didn't you simply speak up?" Noh asked, a crooked smile overtaking his features. "Say the word, Jubilee…" With that, he set her down and zipped off, offering high-speed help to get the rubble cleared up… and leaving Jubilee clutching her stomach laughing at his "sudden" enthusiasm — especially when she could see Jean not far away laughing just as hard.

They all really needed that laugh, too.


	7. School of Philosophy

**(A/N): I'll have you know that I'm now of the opinion that Noh should do his best snooty snootiness with a lollipop in hand. I love that mental image.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: School of Philosophy**

* * *

One of the only advantages, in Noh's opinion, of rebuilding the school was that, at least temporarily, the living and sleeping arrangements were all a bit jumbled.

While that wasn't the best for privacy, it did mean that they were all _together_ , and Noh wasn't even going to try to hide his smile when he woke up with Jubilee so close to him that he only needed to breathe a little deeper to put his face in her hair.

If he'd been alone with her, he might have curled up next to her and gotten lost in being with her for a while, especially when Jubilee was one of the few constants he had in this new world. His mental peace had been shattered, his philosophies were questioned, and his new home had been destroyed… but waking up next to Jubilee was still a reminder of just _why_ he wanted to stay on Earth with the X-Men.

 _You're lucky Logan's not the one with mind-reading abilities,_ Jean's voice rang in Noh's mind.

Noh smiled but didn't move from where he was lying by Jubilee. _And you are such a model of restraint._

 _Sometimes,_ Jean said, and the smile in her mental voice was clear enough that Noh picked his head up to look for her — and found her smiling not too far off, where she was leaned against Scott.

 _There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying my time here on this planet. And nothing wrong with choosing who I want to spend that time with,_ Noh pointed out. _You married your teammate; you have absolutely no reason to say anything to me._

 _Oh, I wasn't complaining,_ Jean assured him. _But Logan will if he thinks you're getting up to no good._

 _You have strange ways of thinking about sex._

Jean let out a choked sort of laugh out loud and then covered her mouth — though that couldn't hide from anyone in the vicinity the fact that Scott was laughing at her as hard as he was. _Noh..._

 _I just think you have a strange view of things if you call it "getting up to no good" when it fact, it's quite_ —

 _Noh, I swear, if you say that out loud around Jubilee and Logan, you're going to end up getting clawed. I'm serious._

Noh shook his head at that, though he was smirking hard. _Such backwards views…_

 _Noh, it's not_ — _you know she's like a daughter to him, don't you?_

 _Yes, and she thinks just as highly of him._

 _Then you have to understand: he doesn't want her to get screwed around._

Noh frowned at that and shook his head lightly. _I have no intentions of ever hurting her. I thought I made that clear._

 _I know,_ Jean said gently. _Trust me; I know._

 _Then why_ —

 _It's instinctual,_ Jean explained. _It's purely protective, and he can't entirely stop it._

 _I'm glad she has such protection, but honestly, Jean, I can promise you that I have no intention of hurting the only constant I have in this world._

Jean couldn't stop her smile at that, though she did hide it behind her hand. _You two are so sweet_ — _you know that?_

 _As my Jubilee says, 'Sweets for the sweet.'_

Jean simply smiled a little more at that, though by that time, more of the group was starting to wake up, so their conversation tapered off — for the moment.

Once everyone got moving, it was more or less back to work. They still had a lot of rebuilding to do. Even if Magneto's brief appearance had actually significantly sped things along, that didn't change the fact that there was more to rebuilding than clearing rubble and putting up walls.

Most of the day was spent in honest, hard, grueling work. Since Noh was among those who had enhanced strength, he was involved in a lot of the bigger projects, but most of the students were helping out too. Even some of the newest and youngest members of the group did what they could — mostly by moving boxes of supplies where they needed to be or working to get furniture or furnishings into finished rooms.

To Noh's surprise — and delight — when he paused to take a break, he wound up sitting in a group that included Charles Xavier and Jean. And while Jean had spent the morning teasing him about his _intentions_ when it came to Jubilee, it was clear Charles had a more serious topic of discussion in mind.

"Would you walk with me?" Charles asked Noh.

Noh raised both eyebrows but nodded his quick agreement, taking up a position behind Charles as they wandered out around the grounds. The estate wasn't quite back to its usual splendor, but without the rubble littering the grounds, it was almost pleasant to walk around, though Noh knew better than to get lost in what used to be.

Finally, they came to a stop much farther out from where the rest of the group was, and Charles smiled lightly up at Noh before he let the expression fall to a more serious one again. "I know it hasn't been much time since what happened, and there is so much for you to process," he said gently. "But I wanted to thank you first. Jubilee told me about your… conversation with Erik."

Noh let out a scoffing noise. "He has the right ideas, but his foundation is lacking."

Charles smirked lightly. It was always interesting to watch when one of his students would interact with Erik, and Noh was no exception. Though Charles wasn't entirely surprised to find that the two of them were of similar opinions when it came to genetic superiority, Charles was, at least, relieved to see that Noh wasn't taken in by the superficially superior mindset. "Erik and I have always disagreed, but we have remained friends all the same."

Noh made a dismissive motion with one hand. "That does not surprise me," he said. "You are all of different minds, and so it's only a matter of course that when you disagree, it does not interfere with your relationships." He paused. "Though this particular disagreement _does_ seem to be the source of more… animosity than the smaller ones. I think. It's still difficult reasoning what is a big and what is a small disagreement, especially in matter of opinion and in matters where neither side is entirely in the right."

"I'm afraid that's the case with almost _any_ matter of opinion," Charles said with a light smile.

"Chaos, as always," Noh said. "Such is the way of this world."

Charles nodded, though his gaze was fixed firmly on the young man standing beside him. "Noh," he said gently, "I wanted to speak with you about what happened with Bastion."

Charles could see the moment Noh straightened up, as if he was preparing for a fight, but he was entirely sure it was an unconscious reaction. Still, even the slight movement told Charles that Noh still wasn't entirely convinced that the X-Men would be alright with the way he'd dealt with Bastion, and the quick response only proved that: "I couldn't let him continue—"

Charles held up a hand, sure to keep his expression as open as he could, since it was _plainly_ apparent Noh wanted to do right by him. "Noh, you misunderstand," he said. "I meant what I said: there are some circumstances, such as this one, where our rules must be broken."

"Ah." Noh tipped his head. "Yes, well… yes."

"It's not a solution to _every_ problem, and I'm loathe to use it at all if I can help it," Charles clarified.

"That's my understanding," Noh said.

Charles frowned at his tone. Even if the young man's psychic defenses hadn't been torn down to the point that he was a completely open book to any telepath around him, the way he worded his answer alone said that he wasn't happy about the arrangement. "Noh," he said gently, "we can't ask people to change their minds about us if they are scared of us."

"They _are_ scared of you. They've made up their minds and decided to turn that fear into a murderous rage." Noh crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Your philosophy is not going to stave off that kind of mania."

"Not from the worst offenders, perhaps — but it _can_ prevent its _spread_ ," Charles said pointedly, both eyebrows raised. "That is our goal, after all."

"And yet your team goes to war against those 'worst offenders'," Noh pointed out. "Why not stop them as we stopped Bastion? They aren't the ones whose minds can change by your philosophy of example."

Charles' frown only deepened. "And then what?" he asked.

"What?"

"What do you propose we do after we act as judge, jury, and executioner?" Charles asked. "How do you determine when someone is truly past the point of no return? At what point do you look at a person and know, definitively, that there is no kindness that can turn them from their path?"

Noh paused. "Well, certainly those like Bastion—"

"Are the only exception to the rule," Charles said firmly. "But there is a reason those exceptions are few and far between. I'm not willing to let our team because an execution squad. That line should be defined so brightly that when we _do_ cross it, in _rare_ instances such as you have just seen, we can know without a doubt that we exhausted all other options." He met Noh's gaze. " _That_ , my young friend, is how you know a person is truly past the point of our help."

Noh was silent for a long time before he finally, slowly, nodded. "Yes," he said at last. "I see."

Charles smiled tightly and then reached over to rest a hand on Noh's arm. "I hope you do," he said. "But I understand your confusion and frustration. Believe me; I know how simple it must seem to follow the easier path."

"I prefer the path of efficiency," Noh said.

"And I prefer the path with the fewest bodies," Charles said, his tone a bit more blunt than Noh was used to hearing from him — enough so that Noh turned toward him with a more open look than before. "Noh, violence begets violence. The more death we sow, the more we radicalize any people who hadn't decided to hate us before. There are still people who can be _convinced_ , and I'm not willing to throw them away because others won't be."

Noh frowned and then leaned against the nearby tree. "I'm not entirely sure that I agree."

"I know," Charles said. "But I can only explain to you why we do the things we do and hope that you can understand it on your own, in time."

Noh nodded at that. "I appreciate your respecting my free will," he said frankly.

Charles couldn't help but smile when he heard it. He could remember a time when Noh barely understood the concept, and now, he was jealously guarding it for himself. "Yes," he said. "And that was something else I wanted to speak with you about."

Noh raised an eyebrow but didn't shift his position at all. "Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize," Charles said. "Bastion used my knowledge of everyone to take down the team, and for you in particular, I am quite sure losing control of your mind once more, after everything that happened with the Kree, must have been upsetting."

It was apparent Noh hadn't expected the direction of the conversation, and for just a moment, he let that surprise show on his face before he recovered and shook his head lightly. "I can recover well enough, but thank you for your concern," he said. "I simply need help to reconstruct my defenses, when you have the time." He gestured toward their home. "You have other things to focus on."

"And yet I do my utmost to make sure that my students never feel neglected, no matter what the circumstances might be," Charles said gently. When Noh still didn't look like he believed him, Charles tried a different tactic. "Noh, you and I have put in too much work together for me to ignore it when that work is undone."

"Perhaps we should try to construct something more durable than a bubble," Noh suggested at last, though he looked almost weary at the thought — not that Charles would blame him. Since the boy had arrived on their world, it seemed, he had been constantly trying to build up his mind. It had to be disheartening to still have so far to go — and to feel like all that hard-won progress had been erased. Again.

"You were doing well," Charles promised, not about to let Noh get too downhearted if he could help it. "And it was more of a dome than a bubble, really. You very likely would have been able to withstand an assault that hadn't been quite so directed — by my hand."

"Professor, I bear you no ill will," Noh said, misreading Charles' expression entirely.

Charles smiled. "And I'm glad to hear that," he promised. "But I am still sorry for what happened to you."

Noh matched his smile. "Perhaps I can share something of _my_ philosophy with you, then," he said. When Charles nodded, his smile widened. "You see, because my crew and I traveled between dimensions, we often saw other possibilities, other timelines. It would have been easy for us to get lost in anything but the present moment, anything but our mission." He held up a hand. "Yes, being part of a hive mind certainly helped us to stay focused, but there was more to it than that. We understood the perils of looking for a life other than the ones we had, and so we simply learned to let the past and any possible futures be and focus exclusively on the present - and the ways in which the present could be shaped to a more favorable future on our own paths and the Empire's."

Charles nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure that was helpful, considering the nature of your mission."

"Exactly," Noh said. "But I think it can still apply to this world." He gestured toward the half-built mansion beyond them. "What happened here was terrible, and I will not forget it or forgive it. But I accept that it happened. My focus is not on what should have been or on any past that did not happen. I cannot change the past, and so I focus on changing the future. Right now."

Charles couldn't help but smile when he heard it. "I think that's an excellent philosophy," he said. "One that I've heard a few times here as well."

"Then perhaps we can both learn from each other," Noh suggested. "I will try to temper my tendency for enforcement, and you can try to live for what is rather than what is not or what is true in a different reality."

Charles' smile warmed up considerably as he heard it. "Thank you, Noh."


	8. Magnipulations

**Notes: Oh, I totally hear you. I love when Charles actually gets to hear other philosophies, and I love that Noh isn't just being a passive sponge. He's learning a LOT, but he's still Noh.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Magnipulations**

* * *

Things were finally starting to feel normal around the institute.

The last decorations had been re-hung, the last adjustments had been made to the Danger Room, and the last of the students who had been staying with family during the rebuilding effort had returned to the school.

Noh could appreciate the fact that the X-Men didn't rebuild the institute _exactly_ the way it had been before, too. They were looking forward, improving on the old model, adding in more space in the dorm rooms, more equipment in the Danger Room, even renovating the dock out at the lake.

Noh liked that. He liked the idea of moving forward out of the ashes, building something even better. They weren't living in the past; they weren't trying to stay stagnant.

Of course, now that the mansion was back up and the kids were going to school again, the same people that had celebrated when the institute had been reduced to rubble were now openly upset about the school once more. A few were idiotic enough to even mount a few attacks.

But Noh was surprised to see the ferocity with which the X-Men repelled those attacks. The senior X-Men fought hard enough that it was clear they were only _just_ holding back. Clearly, the loss of their home and the humiliation and imprisonment at Bastion's hands had left all of them determined to prevent a repeat performance.

And yet they still kept from crossing that line, even with those determined to attack their home.

Noh found himself spending more and more time with Charles in that environment, then — not only because he needed to build his mental defenses up again but because he was still trying to find the line that the others talked about. They seemed to think it was such a bright, neon light, but at best, he considered it to be awash in murky water, if not invisible entirely.

He wanted to do right by the X-Men. But it was difficult.

He could see the line when it came to missions. If he was going with the team, if there was a set enemy and a set plan, he knew it would never be an assassination run. That wasn't how this team operated.

No, the problem was when it came to _defense_ , not offense. How many times was he supposed to let an enemy try to destroy him before enough was enough?

And, worse, it was even harder for him to find that line when it came to protecting the others. He had come to think of the X-Men — _all_ of them — as family. And every training simulation that ended with him defending a teammate … ended with him either crossing that line or hesitating too much.

It was endlessly frustrating, and it was obvious Jubilee could tell he was upset by it, because no sooner had they finished their training session with the junior team than Jubilee suggested a group trip to the mall.

"We haven't gone in forever, and you, mister, need more music," Jubilee informed him, poking a finger in the center of his chest and drawing herself up in almost a dare for him to cross her — though, of course, when she did things like that, instead of being intimidated, he was always entranced.

He took hold of the hand pointing the offending finger his way and then kissed it. "I would never say no to finding more music," he said. "But then, I would never say no to a beautiful woman, either."

Jubilee deflated slightly, a blush rising up in her cheeks at the _blatant_ flirting. "You… are so totally going to get yourself in trouble, mister."

Noh smirked and pulled her a little closer to drop his voice to a whisper. "I _told_ Jean that you have such strange ways of looking at love. I don't consider it to be 'trouble' I'm getting into with you."

Jubilee gaped at him for a moment before she outright smacked him with the back of her hand. "You. Are. So. Much. Trouble."

Noh grinned that much wider. "In this case, my dear Jubilee, I fear we may never get over this language barrier."

She shook her head at that, though she wasn't about to complain — especially not when she'd started to notice a pattern with him. He always flirted more when he was feeling a little unsteady about his place on the team or in the extended family that was the X-Men. It was a little way of reminding himself why he had decided to stay, and she totally wasn't going to wreck that.

Especially not when it meant she could get some stardusted kisses.

* * *

"We totally need to do this all the time," Jubilee said. She was sitting across from Noh with her feet kicked up to rest on his knee, and they had long ago finished off their milkshakes and had moved on instead to people watching — which mostly consisted of Jubilee providing a running fashion critique of everyone around them.

"It has been some time since we went on a date," Noh agreed, smiling at her genuinely. He always looked so much more relaxed when they did things like this, and that only solidified things in Jubilee's mind: If she wanted her sweet little alien to stop beating himself up so much and twisting himself into logical knots that not even he was flexible enough to get out of … more dates were a _necessity_ , clearly.

"You should totally fix that," Jubilee agreed.

Noh smirked at that. "I should indeed. Are you free, by any chance, this weekend?"

Jubilee giggled and pretended to think it over. "I don't know… I might have to check my schedule."

Noh's smirk turned into a smile as he leaned forward. "Oh?" he asked, though he couldn't pull off the falsely disappointed look he was trying to give her when he was so clearly entertained. "Should I be worried?"

"Maybe," Jubilee giggled.

"I must try harder to win you over, then," Noh said, nodding seriously. "I've heard of this in your music. I must abase myself, buy you flowers…"

By that time, Jubilee was almost beside herself in giggles. "Oh yeah. That's totally it."

Noh grinned and leaned back easily, though in between Jubilee's giggles, he could hear something else, and he frowned, tipping his head to the side and holding up a hand. "Wait," he said slowly, his eyes narrowed.

Jubilee frowned. "What's up?" she asked, already starting to slide out of the booth they were sitting in so she could fight whoever was being stupid.

"I'm not certain," Noh admitted. "But someone is definitely fighting down the hall." He got to his feet as well and took Jubilee's hand, only to pull her up into his arms so he could more easily carry her to where the trouble was.

They were just in time to see several men in distressingly familiar uniforms carrying off their unconscious teammates, and Noh glanced over to Jubilee with his eyebrows as high as they would go. "That's not possible," he said. "I killed that man. I blew him to pieces. Not even a healer would be able to recover from that — right? Or is that not the case in this reality?"

But Jubilee was shaking her head almost reflexively, transitioning from shock to anger much faster than Noh had — especially because that was _another_ team of her friends being carted off by Bastion's men in front of her. And this time, she wasn't nearly as powerless to do something about it as she had been before.

With a shout, Jubilee rushed after the uniformed men and let loose a plasmoid that was big enough to knock them all off their feet — but not big enough to do any lasting damage to their unconscious friends. And once the soldiers were down, she knelt down beside Angelo, biting her lip when she saw the deep gash across his forehead.

Noh was making quick work of picking up after her, too, slinging one unconscious soldier over his shoulder as he worked to restrain the other one — though when the man on his shoulder felt significantly heavier all of a sudden, he glanced up at Jubilee and frowned. "Jubilee … can you access your powers?"

"Uh oh," Jubilee said under her breath — which was as good of an answer as she could give.

Noh frowned at that, even as several more men in uniform started to melt out of various shops at the mall — while the civilians in the area were clearly getting out of the way, likely well-aware of what was about to happen. But as soon as one of the soldiers got close to Jubilee, Noh got there first, grabbing the man's shirt with a handful of nails grown into claws in an instant, leaving a gash across the man's chest, even if he couldn't pick him up with one hand to complete the intimidation he was going for.

"Leave her alone."

"Noh, you don't have to do that," Jubilee said, a little wide-eyed, before she simply threw herself into a fight with the next creep to cross her path. She did know a _little_ about hand-to-hand. Even if she hated it.

And honestly, the two of them absolutely could have taken down the creeps at the mall if it had just been a matter of hand-to-hand. And they did, in fact, take out a half dozen between them before a shot rang out and the ground seemed to explode at Jubilee's feet, obviously catching both of their attention — and quickly.

"Show's over," said the creep with the gun, gesturing between both of them with it. "Hands up. And don't move."

Jubilee and Noh glanced at each other, but even without speaking, they both knew that neither of them was fast enough to get out of that predicament — at least not with some kind of power dampener in play. And even if Noh could come back from a shot, Jubilee definitely could _not_. So, slowly, both of them raised their hands in a gesture of surrender.

As soon as they did, the soldiers that had previously been giving it their all just trying to keep them back suddenly rushed forward to restrain them both — and then haul them off along with the rest of the team to who-knows-where.

For the most part, the captured junior X-Men didn't say anything, even when some of them started to rouse, though Noh at least was highly entertained when he could hear Jubilee muttering under her breath about "bad life decisions" and how much her Wolvie was going to make them regret kidnapping the team.

Not that the men could hear it — or if they did, they weren't reacting to it.

Eventually, the van carrying the junior squad came to a stop, and the men carried or dragged everyone inside to what amounted to little holding cells. There was clearly still a dampener in play somewhere, since none of them could use their powers, but even so, it was a little bit satisfying to see that they were being treated as threats even with the powers off — with reinforced doors and their hands still tied even after they were brought in.

"Now then," the guy that had pointed a gun at them said, sounding overly smug and only making Jubilee want to punch him in the face even more than she already did. "Who wants to call the big kids for help?"

"Oh, you really don't want to do that," Jubilee spit out venomously.

"I really do," the man said lazily, examining the comm he'd confiscated. "I've got bigger fish to fry than you, little girl."

"Typical _loser_ ," Jubilee said, glaring at him. "Well, I don't appreciate being your stupid damsel in distress. Try something creative for once in your miserable life."

The man watched her through narrowed eyes for a long moment before a disturbing sort of grin rose up on his lips, and he nodded. "If that's your decision," he said, turning from Jubilee to instead yank Monet to her feet while she was just starting to wake up. "Tell your team to come get you — and to make it fast before you're all dead."

Monet spluttered for a second, but she really didn't have much choice in the matter, so she nodded and repeated the message over the comms — completely not expecting in when, before she could cut off the transmission, the guy holding onto her arm shot her.

There was an immediate uproar, garbled shouts from everyone in the junior squad even as Monet fell to her knees and slipped sideways — though Jubilee was completely still, watching wide-eyed as Monet lay perfectly still on the ground.

"Alright then," the man said as he dropped the comm and then crushed it with his heel. "Let's see how smart they are." He smirked at Jubilee. "I'll come back in half an hour. Since you don't want to be the damsel, you can pick the next one."

* * *

Erik had been following this little group closely: the last of Bastion's followers who were still trying to salvage what was left of their operation… even if it largely consisted of an attempt at revenge that even their leaders had to know was a long shot, a last hurrah before they would be bankrupt and defunct if they couldn't get a victory.

He had expected them to go after the X-Men. He had _not_ expected them to go after the junior squad.

Erik's eyes were narrowed as he approached the facility. He had been meaning to destroy it outright, but with several of Charles' children in play, he held back rather than destroy them, curious and incensed in the same breath.

He arrived just in time to see Monet crumpled on the ground and to hear the man in charge lay the responsibility directly at Jubilee's feet. The young woman looked absolutely devastated, pale and frozen. If there was ever a time for these impressionable new X-Men to see the kind of safety Erik provide them as well as the futility of refusing to fight the good fight until the worst possible outcome had come to pass….

Erik pressed his lips together as he looked around the cells. None of the children there were making a move — and not only because of shock. There was a dampening field in play.

Erik looked around, his eyes narrowed, until he found the dampener. And he was about to destroy it… until he heard a strange snapping sound and turned to see that Charles' little alien had inserted himself between the man with the gun and Jubilee. The snapping sound was a broken wrist, but it meant the boy's hands were free, and he was clearly pulling back for a blow to put distance between them.

With a wave, Eric dismantled the dampener and then stepped into what had been until then its area of effect — just in time to see Noh's strike, much more forceful than he had anticipated, echo with a sickening crack that left an imprint of Noh's hand in the man's chest as he fell, dead before he even hit the ground.

"Well done, my boy," Eric said in an almost cheerful voice.

Noh spun around with wide eyes, holding his hand with his good hand to straighten the bones to heal, though he was blinking hard as if he couldn't believe the evidence of his own eyes. "What ... what have you done? What are you doing here?"

"I had expected this little _group_ to strike the X-Men," Erik said, deciding to use as much truth as the boy needed to hear. "I did not, however, expect them to strike the children." He gestured to the area at large, his cape fluttering out with the movement. "They were asking for it. Clearly."

"You're a little late," Paige said — mostly speaking up because Jubilee was too shocked to do so, and she felt like it _had_ to be said or Jubilee would regret that later too.

"A bit of distance was required to avoid detection," Erik said with a steady gaze and one eyebrow raised.

"Well, it looks like we're doing alright on our own," Paige said, though she faltered as her gaze went to Monet.

"I can free the team," Noh said, belatedly, still holding his hand even though it was healing on its own and no longer needed to be held in place. "The offer is appreciated, but I can handle this."

"I'm very sure you can," Erik said, even as he floated a bit higher, his arms slowly reaching out more the higher he rose. "But while you heal, I will simply get started on destroying their weapons." He gave Noh a knowing look. "Feel free to do as you think is necessary, of course."

Noh frowned at that, though Erik was already leaving, and that still left the rest of the junior squad there in varying stages of shock. He took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out before he went to Jubilee first to simply crush the chain of her handcuffs in his hand. "I'm truly sorry, Jubilee. I was — are you alright?" he asked softly.

For just a second, it looked like Jubilee was going to be able to pull off her brave face, but that crumbled a moment later, and she simply shook her head.

Noh let out a breath at that and simply kissed her forehead before he quickly and quietly freed the others. He wasn't entirely sure what to do now, especially since this had been the second death he'd caused in as many missions in the field, but he did at least remove the body so that only Monet was there.

It wasn't long before the X-Men showed up ... or at least a few of them. K and Logan were there along with a couple of Avengers. The little group took in the scene with a frown, and without a word spoken, Logan made a beeline for Jubilee, only to pause when he got close and softly say her name to catch her attention. That was all it took for her to turn his way and then rush over so he could curl around her protectively. "It's alright, Jubes," Logan said incredibly softly as he held onto her. "I've got you. You're gonna be alright. You're safe. You know that, right?" She gave him an almost imperceptible nod as she burrowed into his shoulder and simply started to cry.

And as soon as Noh saw that Jubilee was safe, he started to back away from the scene. He could hear the sounds of a fight further off, and… he wanted to go fight. To clear his head. Watching his teammates stare in shock wasn't doing anything to help the gnawing feeling in his stomach.

Meanwhile, as Steve began to survey the damage, K had slipped by the group of them, only sparing a glance over her shoulder at Erik as she rushed into the complex, ignoring the look he'd given her. There was a small window of time to work with — and she knew with Erik and his idiotic magnetic field, the data encrypted on any tech inside was living on borrowed time.

She and Noh almost crossed paths directly, too, as he headed toward the sound of damage being dealt, though he was running fast and not really paying attention to her, assuming that she was part of the rescue team and didn't need his help.

And yet, when he did arrive where Erik was wreaking havoc, the fight was practically finished there as well, and Noh frowned when he saw it. He had been hoping to just… go into a white run and finish things off. Not think for a while.

And Erik, of course, only smirked when he saw Noh, finishing off the last of the soldiers and their weapons before he floated down a little closer to Noh, though still slightly above the ground. "As you said, you were capable of freeing your team. I simply dealt with the rest of the men," he said, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Noh nodded at that, his heart still throbbing in his ears. "I didn't mean to kill that man," he said. He didn't know why he felt the need to try to explain himself to Magneto, but he did, somehow. The idea that Magneto would consider him to share his philosophies when he had been trying with everything he had to follow Charles…

"Of course you did," Erik said, waving a hand dismissively. "You saw what he did to Monet, to Jubilee — do you really believe he deserved your restraint?"

"It's not for his sake that I meant to hold back," Noh said, his frown deepening.

"No, it was for theirs." Erik shook his head. "Why are you letting them stop you? Do you honestly believe they will be safer in their delusions if you play along?"

Noh blinked and then narrowed his eyes. "And your alternative is much better?"

Erik smirked. "You said yourself it was; your only complaint has been the people involved." He touched down in front of Noh and rested a hand on his shoulder. "We are more alike than you care to admit, my boy. Perhaps you can help me to save them — even if they do not want to be saved."

Noh frowned for a long time as he considered Erik, who hadn't moved and still looked entirely sympathetic. And he thought of Monet and the look on Jubilee's face.… "I won't help you fight against the X-Men," he said at last, slowly.

"I'm asking you to help me protect them, my boy," Erik said smoothly.

Noh shook his head. "I know what words you used. Now listen to mine: I will not fight them. But I _will_ destroy their enemies." He met Erik's gaze cleanly. "Is that understood?"

"Even if they stand in our way?" Erik asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Then I will stand with them," Noh said without hesitating. "I agree with your methods, yes, but I do not agree so much that I am willing to throw away the only friends and family I have here. That would be idiotic."

Erik let out a noise from the back of his throat. "You are still so naive about this world."

"Perhaps," Noh allowed. "But that is my decision to make. That is how this world works. I am allowed to make my own mistakes, yes?"

Erik frowned — and then paused and started to chuckle as he shook his head. "Charles has taught you well."

"Thank you." Noh tipped his head. "Now, do you have a battle I can fight or not? I was bred for combat, not small talk."

Erik smirked. It wasn't quite what he had hoped for, but he was sure that once the boy had a taste for the good fight, he'd keep going — if for no other reason than that Erik knew the X-Men would reject him the more he sided with Erik. He could work with this, take advantage of the boy's power while he could.

"Yes," Erik said, nodding slowly, "I think I have just the thing."


	9. Bad Life Decisions

**Notes: I know, right? I just want to grab all the junior X-Men and wrap them up in blankets and give them cookies and milk and never let anything touch them again ever and just gahhhhhhhhhhh.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Bad Life Decisions**

* * *

It took a few minutes for the rescue team to realize that they were down one Kree fighter — if for no other reason than that they were sure he'd come _back_ from whatever it was he was up to. Especially since Jubilee was still in obvious shock and blaming herself for the whole mess.

Logan had stuck to her like glue, sure to keep telling her repeatedly that nothing that had happened was her fault, ready to repeat himself as many times as it took to get his message though her. But … most of the time, the two of them were just half curled up and keeping quiet as Jubilee vacantly stared at the television and Logan put on more and more ridiculous movies that he knew she didn't like. It was purely his measuring stick to see when, exactly, she was going to snap out of him and tell him off for it.

So it wasn't even until Jean poked her head in that they were aware Noh hadn't managed to find his way back to the mansion. "Have you two seen Noh?" Jean asked with a frown. "I can't sense him anywhere, and the professor wanted to talk to him…"

Logan frowned and gently shook his head, not willing to disturb Jubilee too much when she clearly wasn't reacting to everything yet. _How long has he been out of touch?_ Logan projected to her.

 _No one has seen him since the rescue team got to that facility,_ Jean said.

 _Check with K to be sure,_ Logan replied. _She's torturing Tony and putting him to work on deciphering the coded crap._

Jean nodded at that, unable to stop her smile when she knew that 'torturing' was in fact an apt description. _Thanks._

 _Any time, Jeannie._

Jean smiled and headed down to the War Room, laughing to herself at the looks on Tony and K's faces. It seemed a shame to break them up, but… She really was starting to get worried. So, she knocked on the doorframe.

"Have you two seen Noh?"

Tony looked up at her first, which was what K was waiting for to snatch his freshly filled coffee mug right out of his hand. Which, of course, earned a curse before he gritted his teeth and answered Jean. "No. He hasn't been through. Was he supposed to be? I might be able to track him. That tech he's got has a weird signature."

Jean bit her lip. "No one's seen him since you were at the facility," she admitted. "He's not here; I was hoping he might have been helping you two with something."

"Not yet," K said, twisting out of Tony's reach with the mug. "But Tony can start looking — right after he gets _himself_ some coffee."

"Thanks," Jean said. "The professor wanted to talk to all of the kids who were there… after what happened… I'm worried about them," she admitted.

"You've got good reason to be," K agreed. "None of them were prepared for that. All of them were out of it in one way or another."

"I know," Jean said with a little nod. "I could hear it."

"If we can't find him, I'll let you know," Tony said, already making his way over to a different computer screen to start the search. "And when I _do_ find him … she'll let you know and get me more coffee. For once."

"Good luck with that," Jean said, unable to hide her own smirk as she headed out.

Tony was just getting into a good grumble as he looked into the tech signatures when K got up to bring him a cup of coffee — just because he _was_ trying to help, after all. "This is how it works: you get me coffee, I return the favor," she said as she set the cup down next to him and then took a seat close by to see how, exactly, he was searching for Noh.

Eventually, Tony did pick up a trail — though it was definitely not any place that Noh would have gone if he was just looking to be by himself. It was one of the bigger MRD headquarters, and he seemed to be smack in the middle of it.

As Tony straightened up — and clearly took on a look of growing alarm — K watched him out of the corner of her eye, only to reach over and take his hands off the comm and hold onto them for a moment. "Just … let's see what's going on first. He's clearly onto something."

Tony looked surprised for just a moment… and then that turned to a smirk. "Any excuse to hold hands, right?"

"Oh. Absolutely," she replied with a troublemaking look. "No telling when something like that happens. Better drink it up."

"Take what I can get?" Tony teased.

"If that's the only way you can get it …" K wasn't entirely paying attention to him, though, as she narrowed her eyes at the satellite images, biting her lip. There were only so many explanations, after all. And K was more than a little suspicious of the trail of destruction. It wasn't that it was beyond Noh's ability … it just … didn't line up with his _ambition_. "…That sounds like some kind of damaging admission to your stellar reputation." She sounded almost far away as the images updated.

"Not as damaging as the fact that I can't even properly distract you," Tony said as he leaned over her shoulder. "That bad?"

"It's just not like him," K said, only halfway snapping out of it. "The destruction, sure. But not on his own." She turned to look at Tony for a moment. "I just want more iron-clad confirmation that it's what I think it is before sounding the alarms."

"And if it's what you think?"

"Then … this could get messy."

Tony nodded at that as he offered her a hand up to her feet. "Then… I'll keep the team on speed dial."

"Yeah, but _you_ better not show up on site," K warned. "And tell Steve to leave the frisbee at home."

Tony frowned at that, though with warnings that specific, it wasn't hard to put together what she meant. "Magneto? Seriously? What's his interest in your space man?"

"The kids said they were talking," K said, shrugging before she gestured to the screen. "You tell me what his interest might be in the kid."

Tony nodded once. "Yeah, good point." He shrugged. "Well, let's go let someone know."

K frowned at him. "I figured I'd just go prep the jet and get into something more comfortable for ass kicking."

"Oh, so I can't get close, but the girl with the _metal skeleton_ can?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah. No can do."

K held his gaze for a minute and then nodded. "No, that sounds right to me." She smiled a little. "Fight you for it."

"That's so not the point," Tony said, shaking his head at her — but smirking all the same.

"What's wrong? Afraid you'll lose?" she teased as she started walking backward toward the elevator. "Totally the point, too."

"It's not me losing to _you_ I'm worried about — it's you losing to him," Tony pointed out. "Besides, even if I lost, I'd still win. It'd be fun to romp."

"Who said _romp_?" K laughed.

"Potato, tomato…"

The two of them got into the elevator — teasing back and forth about their hypothetical 'fight' all the way up — though when they found Jean and Scott, K got the jump on Tony. "Tony found him: he's trashing MRD facilities," she said. "I think Erik's involved, and all Tony can think about is havin' a little wrassle." She shook her head and gave him a purely troublemaking look.

"Wow. That was a bus," Tony laughed.

But Scott and Jean both ignored Tony and looked worried. "I thought he turned Erik down," Jean said.

"I don't have proof," K said. "Outside of circumstantial evidence, that is. But … the kids all said he'd spoken with Magneto and that Erik was trying to recruit. Again. The fact remains that even when he's been ticked off, the kid hasn't had _direction_ like this before. I don't think he's ambitious enough to run down this path without some guidance." She shrugged. "But again, no evidence. What I _do_ have is a short list of places he hasn't hit yet, and I can be ready in five."

"We'll meet you there," Scott agreed, already in motion to get to the hangar.

* * *

Noh, meanwhile, had been going through several MRD facilities, leaving nothing but rubble in his wake as he did so.

It wasn't anything like he had done with the X-Men, and that in itself was almost… freeing. It was a lot more like what he had done before he met them. His people had engineered him to be a weapon, and it was nice to have someone pointing out facilities to destroy so he could simply wreak havoc.

It was nice not to have to think.

He was starting to get tired, but he didn't want to slow down just yet, so he kept going to the comm Erik had given him and asking for the next place to burn down. If he slowed down, he might have to stop and think about his place in a world that constantly tried — and sometimes even succeeded — to kill the only people he loved. He could _stop_ those villains, and that's what this little tour of destruction was about… but after that…

Well, he supposed he would just have to keep doing what he was doing. He would rather his friends be angry with him and _alive_ than follow their creed and let them die.

He wasn't even close to Monet, but seeing her die… He hadn't lost anyone like that since he had lost his entire crew when he was shot down. And he was surprised by how much it _hurt_ , even without the echoing emptiness where the mental connection used to be.

He was tired of losing people. He had to _stop_ it. Somehow.

He was taking a moment to eat, to recover after yet another destroyed facility. This one wasn't MRD but some kind of weapons facility. The fires still hadn't died out, but he had raided the kitchens before he started those fires — after he had already wrecked the lab equipment and killed everyone inside.

"What are you doing, stardust?"

Noh looked up to see that K was making her way over, stepping around the rubble and bodies. She didn't look angry — in fact, she looked a lot like she had when Noh first met her, non-threatening and almost … pitying.

He paused and turned her way, his hands held loosely at his sides. He didn't want her to see him as a threat either; he had told Erik that he didn't want to fight the X-Men, and he meant to keep to that promise. "I cannot stand idly by while the X-Men are killed while I have the power to stop it," he explained, his tone tired and heavy. "No matter what philosophy you follow, death is death."

K shook her head as she made her way closer. "I'm so sorry about Monet," she said gently. "Believe me: the people responsible paid."

"Yes, I saw Magneto's response," Noh said dryly.

"It wasn't just Magneto's response, though," K said. "What…. Are you going that way, then?"

Noh tipped his head to the side. "Don't mistake me," he said. "I won't fight _you._ But he does know where the worst of humanity is hidden, and those are the ones that would kill innocent children. So, I'm stopping _them_."

"But we can't let you just … play judge, jury, and executioner, moonbeams."

"Do you know where we are?" Noh asked, gesturing at the rubble.

"I do," K said, nodding.

"If they had taken an X-Men to these laboratory facilities, would you kill them _then_?" Noh asked. "Why is it different now? They are still evil. Beyond salvation."

"The ones in charge are, yeah," K agreed, taking a few steps closer. "But not all of them agree. Many of them are only working here as security or support staff, trying to make a living. You can't know who buys into this and who's trying to live. I think … you might even find that some of them might be mutants forced to work here."

That did get Noh to pause, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. "Then how do you — you can't simply _wait_ for them to commit murder before you know who is evil and who is not!"

"No," K said, shaking her head gently. "You need to be more precise about it if that's the path you take. That's how the place that used Logan and me was taken down .. from the inside, destroying their pillars and letting it fall."

"That's what I'm trying to do," Noh argued. "I've already told Magneto I won't follow him like a blind sheep, but I'm trying to be _precise_ , destroy the worst threats, the ones that would die anyway, instead of waiting for them to kill or torture _innocents_."

"And Magneto only knows how to attack whole buildings. Not precise strikes." She gestured around them. "Or am I wrong?"

Noh let out a noise of pure frustration. "This is maddening," he said, gesturing widely with one hand. "This world of constant contradictions and nonsensical philosophies!"

"What do you know about espionage?" K asked, trying to get Noh _thinking_ — and also trying to keep him off-balance so he wouldn't get too comfortable following Erik's orders in the meantime while he was still too upset to think.

"That wasn't my specialty. I'm a fighter, not an advance scout," Noh said.

"Well, what we need is advanced scouts to know where the fighters need to go," K explained. "I can do both, but I know not everyone has the capacity."

"Then I'll find better intelligence," Noh said. "But I'm not going to stop, K."

K let out a sigh at that. "I'm very sorry to hear it, then," she said before she simply turned to walk away. "I'll let Jubilee know why you didn't come back. She'll be sorry to hear you've switched sides, I'm sure."

Noh pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have _not_ ," he said. "I've temporarily asked for Magneto's assistance finding the worst of the threats that would _kill her_."

"If you think that Magneto will let you walk after this? After all the help you've given him?" She spun to face him and shook her head. "It's not going to work that way."

"I set my terms before we began."

K couldn't help but let out a little laugh at that. "And you think he'll honor that?"

"I think Professor Xavier trusts him enough to let him into his home to discuss philosophy," Noh pointed out. "I think that of all the antagonists of yours I have met, he does not have a telepath. And that, thus far, has been my downfall. Nothing else," he added, tipping his chin up.

"Would you trust him if I went along with you?" K asked.

"That's entirely different," Noh said, shaking his head. "You'd be there as an enemy, not on neutral ground. I'm not yet an X-Men. Things are different."

K crossed her arms and reached down to her hip to take off the badge. "Let's go."

Noh let out another noise of frustration. "That's symbolic, K. You're making light of things."

"Nope, that's got the link to my comm too," she said. "If you want to tear the world apart to avenge what happened with Monet — a _kid_ — then you need someone that knows these places inside and out." She held her arms out in an open gesture. "It's only temporary, right? So what's the problem?"

"The problem is I can't watch anyone else _die_!" Noh spat out, spinning to face her more fully.

"Then it's your lucky day," K said. "I'm hard to kill."

"Yes, for anyone incapable of getting past the metal in your bones. That's not the case here, and you know it," Noh snapped. "And I won't let you get hurt."

K crossed her arms. "You can't stop me. If you think it's safe for you, then I don't see any reason for it not to be safe for me."

"I don't have metal bones," Noh said. "And I have an arrangement. You have two strikes against you."

"He's wanted someone with my skill set in his pocket for decades; it's the same thing," K said, already walking forward to start digging through a computer bank. "Besides … he knows of my reputation when Weapon X was using me.… He'll be fine."

Noh shook his head and zipped over to grab K's hand. "Listen to me," he said urgently. "The entire _point_ of what I'm trying to do is to protect you and the others from Monet's fate. I don't want any of you to break your creed. I don't want you to follow me. I just want you _safe_."

K shrugged him off and shook her head. "As it stands, I barely hold to Charles' rules."

Noh stared at her for a second, completely annoyed and bewildered, since he really hadn't expected any of the X-Men to come at him from this particular angle. "Then help me by being my advance scout," he said.

"What do you think I'm doing?" K said.

"Threatening to come with me to Magneto — which is both idiotic and self-destructive."

"I can't stick around Charles if I'm going to do this kind of scouting," K said with a laugh. "No. I'm going."

"You _just_ said you don't always stick to his rules…!"

"Yes. And that's what I'm doing now: breaking the rules." She frowned at him as if he was crazy before she started digging through the intel on the half-broken computer.

"K, I don't want to fight with you," Noh said. "Please just… you can't—"

"I'm trying to help you," K said, cutting across him. "You don't get to pick what that help looks like."

"No," Noh said, shaking his head and looking like he thought she was being completely unreasonable, " _I_ am trying to help _you_ and the others."

K ignored him until he was close enough to lay a hand on her — and then, she made a quick move to take the comm he was wearing. Of course, Noh reacted faster than she could and snatched it back, but she was smirking at him as he glowered.

"Are you _insane_?" he snapped out.

"I want to talk to Erik," K said, doing a fine job of keeping her neutral expression in place.

"I already told you: you're not coming. You can help me be more precise, but that's it," Noh said. "I'm not risking your life."

"That's not your call to make," K said. "And if you want to do this, then you're going to have to deal with whatever consequences go with it. So, either make this easy on yourself and let me talk to him with you — or I'll go find him myself."

"Neither of those options is appealing," Noh said flatly, his arms crossed.

"Have it your way," she said, turning to leave. "I can find him quickly enough."

Noh reacted in what could only be described as a blind panic and didn't even think about it before he reached out faster than she could blink and knocked her cold — though he did have enough of his wits about him to catch her before she hit the ground.

"I'm really very sorry," he kept saying as he shook his head. "But I can't let you die. I'm tired of seeing death on this planet." He let out a long breath, but there was nothing he could do to change the fact that he'd hit her, so he just made sure she was comfortable and that her beacon on her comm was on before he dashed off.

He hadn't been gone for long before backup arrived for K, with Scott and Jean both looking dismayed at the fact that K was down. "What happened?" Jean asked as she crouched down by K, gently pulling her upright — since K had only been knocked silly, not unconscious like Noh had thought.

"He's just being a dumb kid," K told Jean quietly.

"That really didn't answer my question," Jean said. "We see a lot of dumb kids, and they don't leave you seeing stars."

"He thinks he's got some kind of … deal with Erik."

"Yeah, that's more 'dangerous' than 'dumb'," Scott pointed out. "It's both, but…"

"He only hit me because I was going to find Erik myself." K held up a hand as she hunched over a little, getting her bearings. "I wasn't going to. I was just trying to get him to think."

Jean shook her head at that. "Did he tell you what kind of deal it was?" she asked. "Whatever it is can't be good."

"He thinks he's ridding the world of the evil that wants to kill mutants," K said dryly.

"Sounds like Magneto," Scott said, just as dryly.

"Yeah, well … who do you think was whispering sweet nothings in his ear when he was in _shock_?"

"He still is," Jean pointed out. "That's why you were the first to find him; his mind is actually _better_ closed off right now, sort of like when he did that white run. It's someone else's single-minded focus, and he's letting it blind him."

"So we need to go get him," K said.

"You probably shouldn't go," Scott pointed out.

"Oh, now you're just sounding like Tony," K said in a low tone.

"No need for insults," Scott said. "I'm just saying: Erik isn't an idiot. If he's got a person with metal bones that he _knows_ Noh knocked around in a backward attempt at protection, that's a _liability_."

"Unless he hears why he knocked me back," K said, then stopped. "Nevermind."

"Alright, then. Jean and I will go talk to him," Scott said, nodding as he got to his feet.

"There's no reason I can't help," K said with a frown.

"Besides the _obvious_ ," Scott said dryly.

"Keep it up and I'll join him for real," K said, almost glaring his way.

"Not my fault you won't listen to reason," Scott shot back.

"It's not like you've got much of an argument when you're going to show up in a metal plane," K replied as she got to her feet and swayed a little.

"You need to lie down," Jean said gently. "We'll talk to him; you know we're not going to let him throw everything away."

"I know," K said. "I just don't want to sit still, that's all."

"Then maybe stop fighting with my husband and let's find something _useful_ to do," Jean teased.

K gestured openly. "Okay. Like _what_."

"Like getting back to help with Jubilee. Or any of the other kids that are _also_ in shock. Or keeping Stark away from this mission too. Or finding leads on where Noh might get sent next if he doesn't happen to be at Erik's palace."

K held up a flash drive and handed it to Scott. "There's the intel on the places connected to this one. Just got it before this … nonsense ended."

"Great. I'll run it," Scott said, already headed back to the jet.

"And how am I supposed to do the other stuff?" K asked, arms crossed.

"We're going to take you and Stark back before we go. We're not _stranding_ you here."

"Never know how things roll," K said half under her breath as she started toward Jean. "Take a minute and look over my memory of that conversation; it'll help you, I'm sure."

Jean nodded. "Thanks," she said before she went ahead and dove in, glad for the invitation, since it was hard to peek into K's mind otherwise.


	10. Chess Piece

**Chapter 10: Chess Piece**

In the meantime, Noh had gone back to the coordinates Erik had given him, since he really didn't know what else to _do_. He still felt terrible about hitting K, especially after he'd insisted to Erik that he wasn't going to fight the X-Men… and the whole conversation had him more than a little off-kilter, not at all as steady as he'd been before.

Not that Erik seemed to notice as Noh came in. If anything, Erik looked perfectly pleased with himself and with Noh.

"I… need to eat before I can keep going," Noh said, almost distractedly as he sat down and rubbed his fingers over his eyes. He was tired in a way that his physical exhaustion didn't match.

"You've gotten a fair start," Erik said as he looked over the incoming footage.

"And I wanted to speak to you about the targets," Noh said as he started to pull out a few different things to eat.

"Oh?" Erik said, barely glancing his way before he went back to the screens. "What about them?"

"We could be more precise," Noh said. "I want to be sure I'm killing the men at the top, not the janitors."

Erik stiffened for a moment, his irritation clear to see. "Anyone in those buildings is just as guilty as the men at the top," he said in a low tone. "Any help they give to maim and murder mutants is the same as ordering it."

"And if there are any there against their will?" Noh said, one eyebrow raised. "We need to be more precise or risk hurting the people I swore to protect."

Erik turned at that, his eyes narrowed. "Where is this coming from? What makes you think that anyone is there against their will?"

Noh gestured openly. "That was the case in the facility where Logan and K were held. K told me their history," he said.

He made a noise at the back of his throat at that. "Yes, well. They've murdered more mutants than I can count."

"I'm well aware of the history," Noh said evenly. "I'm only asking that if I am to continue working with you, we focus at the _top_. Precise strikes. I'm capable of it."

"That's not what we discussed," Erik said.

"I asked for your help finding the people that threatened the innocents of this world," Noh pointed out. "It's not too much to ask to make sure those innocents are protected. I thought it was implied in the mission statement."

"No," Erik said simply. "When I said 'destroy the bases,' that is precisely what I was aiming for."

"Then we're no longer of the same mind," Noh said simply, setting down the roll he was eating. His stomach was still in knots, especially knowing that K had been right — and knowing that this left him adrift, since he couldn't follow Erik but had also turned too far astray from the X-Men to go to them either.

"I suppose not," Erik said, and though he didn't turn, it only took a heartbeat for a large piece of metal to wrap entirely around Noh. He was frowning to himself as he tightened the sheet of thick metal tighter around Noh. "I'm not sure how your species can withstand pressure, so you'll need to simply stop struggling before I _accidentally_ crush you."

Noh glared at Erik and spit out a few incredibly choice Kree words his way. "And you claim to fight against subjugation," he practically hissed — though he didn't stop trying to wriggle free until he literally couldn't budge even with his enhanced flexibility, the metal almost formed to his body by that point.

"And I can't have you rushing back to Charles to tell him what we've discussed."

Noh let out a choked-sounding laugh. "I _can't_ ," he said. "I chose not to follow his creed to keep the rest of them safe enough to do so. I wouldn't be welcomed back, and you know it."

Erik smirked at that. "Then why would you try to cross me? I thought I made it clear: you're either with me or against me."

"That's far too simplistic," Noh said. "I agree with your methods and I love Charles' people. There is a middle ground; I choose to walk it."

"That kind of soft stance will never win this war," Erik said.

"It's not yet a fully-realized war," Noh said. "I would know. I have fought in seventy-nine."

Erik waved a hand at him as he turned to leave. "And I have yet to decide what to do with you."

"I'm sure," Noh said dryly. "It must be a difficult decision, finding a way to wage a war with someone who knows war better than you do no longer at your call."

"You know how to be a pawn beautifully, my boy," Erik called back.

Noh narrowed his eyes at that, but Erik was already gone, leaving Noh still stuck. If he could get _leverage_ , he could get out, but… He shook his head. As much as he hated to admit it; he'd gotten himself into an absolute mess, and he had _no_ idea how to get out of it.

* * *

Erik wasn't surprised in the least to see one of Charles' blackbirds approaching. After all, it didn't seem very characteristic of the little Kree soldier to change his mind with no outside impetus, and he knew personally how easy that mind was to change.

Nor was he surprised to see that Scott and Jean were the ones in the blackbird — Charles' favorite students. It was almost predictable.

"Mr. Summers, Mrs. Summers… if you'd called ahead, I'm sure I would be better prepared," Erik said easily.

Scott shook his head at that. "We're not actually here to talk to you," he said. "We're looking for Noh."

"Misplaced a student?" Erik said with one eyebrow raised. "Charles is usually so careful with his little flock. He hardly ever loses one."

Scott took a step forward, but Jean put a hand on his arm. "We're concerned about him," she explained. "He was captured with some of the other junior team members, and we know he's still hurting. We just want to keep him safe."

"I know you're perfectly ensconced in your worldview, Mrs. Summers, but it seems to me that if a young man ran from your care, then he does not, in fact, feel safe."

"We just want to talk to him," Jean said.

"No."

"We're not here to start a fight," Scott said as calmly as he could. "We're just here to make sure he's okay. It's not unreasonable."

"No," Erik replied in the same tone.

Scott had his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses, but even as he tried to reason with Erik, he reached out to Jean: _Can you find him?_

Jean frowned and shook her head, just slightly enough for Scott to catch that it was a response to him before she stepped forward to talk to Erik. "If he's alright with you, we won't force him to come with us. You know that. But we do actually _need_ him if he can pull himself together. The others that were there are worried about him, and the last thing they need right now is another unexplainable and unnecessary loss."

"Tragic," Erik said, clearly unmoved by the logic of it.

Scott narrowed his eyes, drumming his fingers against his arm until he finally let out a breath and turned on his heel. "It's not going to work," he said over his shoulder. "You can't use a kid to start a war, and we're not going to start one for you."

"I also don't need to answer to you or explain myself. You are not _welcome_ here, Mr. Summers. I trust you know the way out."

Scott didn't reply as he and Jean walked out of the palace room, though Scott was working a muscle in his jaw and clearly furious. _That's just proof positive he's here,_ Scott said. _I just wish we knew if he was still here of his own free will. Even if he is right now, it won't last, but if we could just_ find _him…_

 _Let's talk to the professor,_ Jean suggested. _Maybe we can find a way out of this that doesn't start a war._

Scott nodded, though it was clear he wasn't happy about it as they headed to the blackbird.

* * *

Scott and Jean hadn't gotten back yet from talking to Magneto before a news story hit the airwaves with footage of some of the most spectacular destruction that Noh had been up to in the past twenty-four hours.

And, to the frustration of the X-Men who saw the broadcast, the news teams already clearly knew who to blame, seeing as they were running side-by-side footage that showed Noh with the X-Men. He wasn't in uniform, since he'd only just started on the junior squad when this whole mess had happened, but there he was all the same.

It was a clever way for Erik to deflect blame — and to keep the X-Men busy as well. But it really didn't help to assuage any of the worries the X-Men had about Noh himself on top of all the new problems this was causing.

But since the places Noh and Erik had targeted were among the worst offenders — and therefore the kinds of people who would retaliate quickly and ruthlessly — Charles' first priority was the safety of the students in Westchester. So, he pulled K aside to let her know what was going on.

"I need you to take the students to one of your hideouts," he told her simply. "You and Logan both. We've only just gotten the security systems and everything back online; I wouldn't be surprised if we have to rebuild _again_ within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

K stared at him for a moment, clearly not expecting that for a directive. "What makes you think I have anywhere big enough for a crowd like that?"

"If you need to split them between you and Logan — or otherwise — then do so."

K raised an eyebrow at that. "You really want to leave Logan _alone_ with a whole flock of kids? They won't stay there more than an hour before he's waging his own assault."

"Then what, exactly, do you suggest?" Charles said. "It's a matter of urgency, and to be frank, you and Logan are the only ones with outside arrangements beyond a cabin for two that Scott uses on occasion or Remy's criminal arrangements, but you can understand why I would prefer not to ask him to ask them."

She thought about it for a long moment before she held up one hand. "Give me … ten minutes. I have a call to make, I think." She took a few steps back and then took out her cell to give Tony a call, though she didn't try to do the usual teasing to start with for a change. "I need a place to lay low … with a few friends. Do you have something tucked away I can talk you into sharing?"

"Depends on what kind of getaway you're looking for," Tony said.

"Private and preferably secluded."

"Alright. And how many friends?"

K let out a sigh at that. "It's for the kids here. Erik has the school in the center of a bullseye … so … maybe a couple dozen. It'd be a prime opportunity for the MRD to hit and scoop up everyone that's not going after Erik. And … by the way ... I have yet to thank you for making _sure_ that Logan and I are out of that fight." Her tone made it clear that she wasn't pleased about it at all.

There was a beat of silence on the other end before Tony let out a breath she could hear through the phone. "Okay, so. I've got a place in mind. I'll send you coordinates. It was an Avengers safe house, sort of a fallback, so it's got enough space."

"Might be smart if you came too," K pointed out. "If Erik goes on the warpath like it looks like he wants to … you're going to catch it too."

"Okay, I'll bite: what did _I_ do?"

"Parading around in iron underwear."

"You know that's not what I wear, but if you need a visual reminder, you can always come over…"

"But Tony, I'm going into _hiding_." K couldn't help but break into a smile. "And really, I don't know what you wear for sure. Come on."

"Open invitation, K; I'm just saying…"

"I'll consider it. As long as it's not a show and tell that has to go two ways." She was shaking her head laughing as she turned back to Charles, her hand over the receiver of the phone. "It's covered."

"Yes, I gathered," Charles said with a smirk. "Thank you."

K waved his way as she took her insane phone call elsewhere, though the coordinates had already come up in a text, along with a note that Tony would, actually, meet them there to make sure they got past the security measures. Which left Charles with the _rest_ of his X-Men to figure out exactly how they'd defuse the bomb that Erik had created.

* * *

Noh looked up when he heard the door open and then narrowed his eyes when he saw Erik. "So you've decided what to 'do with me'?"

"I've only decided I have no longer _use_ for you," Erik replied before he lifted his hand almost lazily to magnetically pick up Noh, still wrapped in metal. "For now."

Noh could only narrow his eyes at that, since he couldn't move to do much more. "And if that was the case, you could have left me be."

"I did say 'for now'," Erik replied. "And you yourself said that the X-Men would not take you back. That leaves precious little for you, my boy."

"Yes, well." Noh paused. "I still won't be party to hurting innocents. Trapped though I may be, you have no sway over me otherwise."

"Not yet," Erik said. "Charles is not the only telepath around. I simply need to get the right one to show up … and well …" He gestured openly with a smirk. "... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I do not need you here when there's so much that needs to be done."

Noh kept his eyes narrowed and his glare in place, though he could hear his heart hammering and his chest tightening. He hadn't felt this _trapped_ in a long time, especially with what had happened with the Kree ringing in his ears, not to mention Bastion's disaster….

Of course, Erik wasn't going to say anything to Noh and give him an indication one way or another as to what was going on, so Noh found himself simply sitting in his own panic as they left Erik's stronghold and headed… somewhere.

But what Noh hadn't been expecting was to arrive at a small island, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't much to it beyond a little plant life; most of the island was sand and beaches. It certainly wasn't anyplace they could stage from — but then, it also wasn't anyplace where they'd likely be _seen_.

Once they arrived, Erik simply set Noh down in the sand with a quiet smirk. "You've been very helpful to me," he told Noh. "And I can't have anyone else finding you either. I'm sure with a little time, you'll come to a decision as to whether you'll continue helping me willingly or otherwise. There's not much else to do here but think."

"You are only proving yourself to be everything you say you despise," Noh said through his teeth. "How are you any different to those facilities I destroyed that were making weapons out of mutants?"

Erik glared harder at Noh for that before he shook his head and started to simply float away. "On your own head be it," he said.

Noh swore under his breath a few times, but he couldn't exactly do anything except watch Erik leave.


	11. Home Again, Home Again

**Notes: Oh yeah. Anytime things get too heavy? Throw Tony and K at the problem. That'll fix it right up.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Home Again, Home Again**

* * *

With most of the students taken care of at Tony's hideout, after a quick discussion with the X-Men, Charles had decided that the best course of action — and the most direct — would be to simply confront Erik. Not in a fight, not unless he turned it into one — but by going to Erik and getting answers, one way or another.

And when they arrived, it looked like they were expected, with Magneto's Brotherhood there to greet them and Erik seated on his throne with a too-pleased sort of look when he took in the group of them.

"Charles, it's unlike you to stray so far from that school of yours," Erik said.

"Erik, please," Charles said. "We're only looking for Noh-Varr. I'd rather not play any games when the boy so clearly has been traumatized."

"I've seen the same footage," Erik said. "But I'm afraid you won't find him here. He is confused; you're right. But that's exactly why I didn't want him here. I have better things to do than try to reason with an emotional teenager."

"But he _was_ here," Charles said.

"Yes, he came looking for guidance after you lost another one of your charges," Erik said, one eyebrow raised. "For a school meant as a safe haven, that does seem to happen a lot, doesn't it."

"As I understand it from some of those students, you came to him," Charles said, losing some of his friendly tone. "Following them, Erik? Why?"

"I wasn't following _them_ ," Erik said, shaking his head. "I was investigating that group. And I was right to do so, clearly. Just look at what happened."

"Yet, knowing they were my students, you didn't let us know where they were to make it easier for us to get them to safety."

"Charles, I can't be held responsible for your little flock. By the time I arrived, they were already prisoners. I aided their escape, and by the time I had finished with their captors, your team was there. I assure you; it was no fault of _mine_ you didn't get there faster. As I understand it, Monet called to you before I knew they were in danger."

"Where is he, Erik?" Charles said in a much firmer tone.

"Your little alien isn't here, Charles. I'm not lying to you. Go look for him elsewhere; I have other things to do."

Charles folded his hands in front of himself and leaned forward. "Like _what_ , old friend?"

"If you must know," Erik said, leaning forward himself, "those destroyed facilities have led me to discover other hidden-away projects. My work continues, as always, until the war is won."

"Okay, I'm getting tired of this," Jean muttered before she reached out a hand and telekinetically lifted up Erik's helmet. And with Erik's attention on the argument with Charles, he wasn't fast enough to catch it before Charles let himself into Erik's mind … though that itself was also quite the argument that none of the others could see.

Of course, that triggered a response from the Brotherhood, who were quick to rush the X-Men and accuse them of all kinds of dirty dealing, but after having to evacuate their home and deal with Erik being pompous, none of them were in the mood to hold back, and the Brotherhood very quickly learned their mistake.

Kurt had just knocked Pyro out when Charles came back out of Erik's mind, shaking his head to himself and looking somehow both angry and sad at the same time. "Where are we going, Charles?" Kurt asked, looking like he was ready for another fight.

"An island," Charles said, still frowning at Erik, who was unconscious, "off the coast of Africa."

"And Magneto?" Scott asked, his expression making it clear that he didn't trust Erik not to wake up and cause more trouble.

"He'll have a nice, long nap," Charles said as he finally turned to leave. "Then, when he wakes up, he'll forget that he was waging a war."

Bobby let out a low whistle and shook his head. "Great. Now if only that worked on the whole world at once."

"We'll deal with it," Scott said. "We always do. Not like the world didn't already think we were terrorists with everything Bastion was putting out."

"One big, long PR disaster," Bobby said, shaking his head again as they headed for the blackbird.

Charles was quiet for most of the flight out, obviously bothered by the fact that it had taken such lengths to get Erik to back away from this fight. He didn't like what that suggested for future conflict with his old friend.

Of course, none of the X-Men wanted to interrupt Charles' thoughts either, knowing the history there and how much Charles must have hated it, so the blackbird was quiet at large until Scott let them know they were setting down and the X-Men saw the little island for themselves.

There was barely enough room to set the jet down somewhere solid, and that alone was proof to the X-Men that Erik had chosen the place for its isolation more than anything else. But when they spotted the metal-covered teenager just lying on the beach, it was enough to get all of them mad at Erik all over again.

Especially when Kurt teleported over to check on Noh and could tell that their young friend had been clearly emotional, with a telltale red in his eyes and an expression that could only be described as grief.

"It's alright, Noh," Kurt said softly as he crouched down beside the young man, frowning when he realized that Noh had flinched back from him. "We're going to get you out of this."

"Perhaps for the moment," Noh said tiredly, without picking his gaze up to Kurt's. "And then I don't know where I will go."

"What _are_ you talking about, _mein Freund_?" Kurt said, shaking his head as, failing to find a way to get the metal off of Noh, he simply teleported the young man back to the jet so that at least he wasn't lying in the sand and sun anymore.

"I know I broke the rules I promised to—"

"Oh, _lächerlich_ ," Kurt said, waving a hand. "Talk to Charles if it makes you feel better, but we're not going to simply abandon you to wander the planet or fall back into _Magneto's_ clutches."

Noh finally looked up at that to give Kurt a dry look, but when he looked past him and saw that Charles was there as well, he let out a long breath and closed his eyes again. _Perhaps it would have been better if I stayed on Hala. I don't know that I'm suited for life here,_ he projected plainly to the professor.

Charles shook his head softly. _I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Noh. It's always hard to process a loss, especially a senseless one._

 _I tried to help,_ Noh explained. _I just want you all to be safe. I don't want to lose another family, Charles. It was hard enough the first time._

 _I know. K showed her conversation with you to Jean._ Charles dipped his head, but Noh still wouldn't look at anyone. _You're still young_ — _especially by this world's standards. You're still learning. No one here blames you for being upset. And even if we did, I believe you've suffered enough without heaping punishment on your shoulders._

 _I didn't mean to kill the man who killed Monet,_ Noh said, quiet even in his mental voice. _I didn't know the dampener was destroyed. And I didn't know about the innocents in the facilities I destroyed._ He shook his head. _I knew you wouldn't approve, but I had always intended to honor your philosophy as much as I could and only destroy the worst evils. To keep you safe._

 _Noh, you were doing what you thought was best, but it's simply by virtue of the way this world works that we cannot take the law into our own hands. You made a mistake in a time of great emotional upheaval. All of us have done the same at one point or another.._

 _Yes, but I'm supposed to be better than that. I'm Kree. I don't_ have _this sort of… reaction. It's not …_ Noh paused, looking for the word. _Allowed._

 _It is here,_ Charles replied. _There is nothing wrong with feeling and acting on your emotions. Most of the time._

 _And when I do it, I seem to call down more trouble for my family,_ Noh pointed out. _Thus, I shouldn't._

Charles couldn't help but smile at him. _Stick around and see what kind of trouble the ferals bring on themselves. It seems you fit right in._

Noh shook his head as much as he was able to. _I feel… 'cheated' isn't the word, but … I feel as though this is not the right reaction you should have. Somehow. Not when I've been_ —

 _Betrayed, lied to … what little trust you had with him was broken…. And before that, I'm very sure it was a matter of shock, sorrow, and grief … if not only for Monet but I'm sure for the crew you lost when you came here as well._

Noh paused. _I wasn't expecting to lose anyone here_ — _or to be reminded of my people when it happened._

 _No one ever expects to lose loved ones, Noh,_ Charles said.

 _I know,_ Noh said. _It seems so ridiculous, but I had thought… a new world, surrounded by powerful allies..._

 _Even our most powerful allies can fall,_ Charles said. _Don't mistake their power for invincibility._

 _I cannot,_ Noh said simply. _My own people were not invincible, and each of them was genetically bred for optimal outcomes._

 _I will do all I can to help you through this, you know,_ Charles promised. _And you have a lot of people here that support you._

 _It would be better for you to spend your attention on Jubilee,_ Noh said. _The others, too, but she… that man killed Monet to_ spite _her._ As he said it, his mental tone shifted from a numb-sounding one to one with more anger in it, pretty much painting the picture for Charles on just how easy it would have been for Erik to see that and run with it.

By that time, the rest of the X-Men were on the jet, and Scott frowned and redirected away from the cockpit to where Noh was to look over the tight metal almost-bodysuit. "Alright, don't move. I should be able to get that off for you," Scott said, one hand on Noh's shoulder and the other at his visor to start up a small, focused beam.

Noh was almost holding his breath until there was a little opening, and then, that was all the leverage he needed to break out himself and give himself room to _breathe_. "Thank you," he breathed out Scott's way as he rolled his shoulders a few times.

"Jubilee will be _very_ happy to see you," Jean told Noh as she came up to join them.

"Is she alright?" Noh asked, finally meeting someone's gaze as he looked to Jean.

"She's with Logan," Jean told him. "So she's safe and probably still curled up with him."

"I'm glad," Noh said. "I saw how he was with her when you found us. I'm glad she has that."

"They've been like that since they met," Charles told him. "She saved his life, and they've always been somewhat protective of each other ever since."

"Yes, she's told me that she considers him family." Noh smirked. "Well, everyone in Westchester falls under that description — but it's different with him. There isn't a word in your language for the… levels of family belonging when it's not clearly delineated with blood relations."

"No, it's really just a level of closeness," Charles agreed.

Noh nodded. "There's a word… it's the closeness of a hive mind. It's a lot like the feeling of the X-Men," he explained. "And it's why I feel so strongly to protect you. It's… a belonging. A whole that I'm part of. I don't know that I'm doing it justice."

"I'm sure you'll find that when you reunite with them … well … you'll see," Charles said with a little smile on his face.

"Charles, you misunderstand," Noh said. "You are part of that belonging too."

"Well, I for one am positively relieved that you're now _safe_."

"And I can only apologize again for causing so much trouble," Noh said.

"Lets get you back home. There's food for you on the way, if you're hungry. I can't imagine Erik thought of that much."

"I _did_ tell him I needed to refuel, but then we had a … disagreement," Noh said mildly.

"That happens a lot," Charles chuckled. "We had a disagreement as well. But I don't believe he'll be bothering anyone for a while."

"Oh?" Noh leaned forward, obviously interested.

"It was a simple misunderstanding … I asked him to be civil, and he misunderstood that I wasn't leaving him another option."

Bobby snickered at that. "Yep. That's what happened."

Noh simply smirked and leaned back against the jet. "I'm sure it was very entertaining. But right now… I would simply like to eat and then sleep, if I'm honest."

"Then let's get you home," Scott said with a quiet smirk.

* * *

While the senior squad was out, Logan and K had gotten everyone to Tony's bunker hideout — though that in itself had been a massive undertaking, since they didn't want the MRD and the other people who were trying to retaliate to come after them.

But considering it was one of Tony's hideouts… it was pretty nice, and the students loved the accommodations.

Well, most of them, anyway. Jubilee was still tucked into Logan, not at all interested in the surroundings. She'd just been feeling like a person again, and then her idiot boyfriend got himself in trouble _too,_ and she just did _not_ want to lose anyone else.

Noh had stopped in the kitchen looking out through toward the living room where Jubilee was curled into Logan. But he didn't hear it when K stepped into the kitchen with him. "You're back," she said quietly, and as soon as he turned her way, she started toward him and then wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. "We've missed you, sparklepants."

Noh was surprised into a smile at that. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make things hard for anyone here."

"We were just worried about you," K told him.

"And I'm sorry for that too."

When she'd stopped hugging him, she stepped back with her hands at his arms. "Are you okay?"

Noh smiled sadly. "Of course not," he said. "I know better than to lie to you, K. I thought this was established."

"And I still want to hear it from you."

"Well, physically, I should be alright once I've eaten and slept," Noh said. "The rest is a mystery to me. I have no timeline for that recovery."

"Well, Tony's keeping us well stocked," K told him. "So … if you were smart, you'd get a bite before you go see Jubes."

"I don't know; it seems more romantic to go to her with no thought for anything else," Noh said, only the slightest hint of a tease in his tone.

"More romantic, yes, but she's not going to let go of you any time soon, and you might just starve to death."

Noh smirked but raised an eyebrow when he got that expression back under control. "Really? I would have thought that with how attached she's been to Logan and how idiotic my mistakes have been…"

K shook her head and shoved him back a few steps. "She _loves_ you," K said gently — but with an urgent tone. "Do you think she's going to just stop because you made a mistake?"

"Some mistakes are grave enough—"

"No," K said. "But that mistake? Thinking you can't come back?" she shook her head and then hit him — a lot harder than it looked like she was able for as much as she'd drawn back.

"Well, what was I supposed to think when everyone who leaves your philosophy is elsewhere?" Noh defended, rubbing his arm.

"Um … that they're idiots?" K said. "We don't agree with the Avengers on everything, but look around you — we can still get along just fine."

"Yes, I had wondered why we came here and not to the school…"

"Because I asked Tony for help," K said. "And like a good person, he didn't hesitate to pull out one of his own safe houses."

"She flat turned me down when I offered one with a private room so she could check for iron underwear," Tony called over his shoulder..

"I can check it for your iron undies without needing a private room," she called back to him.

"More fun if you're _thorough_!"

"More fun if you're not _shy_." K stopped and tipped her head to the side. "And ... it would be a lot more fun if I wasn't already _spoken for_ , you lunatic."

"I don't think I'm ever going to understand the two of you," Noh said as he followed K to the kitchen and started looking for something to eat — and some sweets to bring Jubilee.

"We like to pick," K said. "That's all."

"Yes, well, I hear the two of you and wonder just what it is that has Jean so convinced you and Logan would be so defensive of Jubilee…"

"Jubes … doesn't really appreciate all the picking Tony and I do, either," K said. "But Jubes is sweet. She's a great person … it's just … we don't want to see her get caught up with someone who would _only_ play with her."

"Well, like I told you before, I'm quite serious about my feelings. I only got in trouble because I meant to protect her. Even if the rest of the fallout was terrible, I would hope _that_ is some good from all this."

"I'm not giving you the third degree, Noh. I know why you did what you did, and I know how you were manipulated."

Noh let his shoulders drop at that. "I wish there was a middle ground to walk," he said. "I tried to do that and ended up stranded on an island."

"What … is that some kind of a euphemism?" K asked. "Are you getting poetic on me? Or … more … poetic?"

Noh shook his head. "No, that's where I was — after I disagreed with Magneto. I did _try_ to present a reasonable solution. He did _not_ take to my suggestion."

"If _only_ someone had warned you," Tony said dryly from where he was leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee.

Noh rolled his eyes at Tony. "Haven't you got some poor woman to womanize?"

"That's not exactly how it works," Tony said with a little laugh. "And I was planning to have coffee with K … so …."

"Mm." Noh pursed his lips and simply filled his stomach, at a much faster pace, without the distraction of conversation.

He swept up a little bag of chocolates when he was done and then excused himself to go find Jubilee — who was, as expected, curled up with Logan. He paused for a moment seeing the two of them together, feeling even worse than before realizing he hadn't _been_ there for her since Monet's death — and then let out a breath and came over with the treats in hand.

"Sweets for the sweet, as you always say," he told her with a soft smile.

It took Jubilee a moment, but she finally turned her head slightly to look at him. "I'm not hungry," she said quietly.

"Then you must not be feeling at all like yourself," Noh said gently.

Before Jubilee said anything in return, Logan leaned close to her and whispered something in her ear in Mandarin — clearly meant just for her. But … after a little moment or two, she straightened up and turned to give Logan a little hug and a kiss on the cheek before she answered him in the same language … and after a little glare Noh's way that could _not_ be misinterpreted, Logan kissed Jubilee's temple and got up to leave them alone.

"I'll be listening," Logan warned as he made his way toward the kitchen.

"Then… I suppose sweet nothings are not allowed," Noh told Jubilee with an attempt at a smile.

"That's not what he's listening for," Jubilee said, pulling her legs around to sit cross-legged where she was.

Noh nodded and came to sit down with her. "I'm sorry I left," he said softly. "I thought … I thought I could stop this world from taking you from this life as senselessly as it took Monet."

"She didn't have a chance to defend herself," Jubilee said. "Or she would have _destroyed_ that idiot."

"All of us were shocked," Noh said, still speaking softly and almost carefully. "I'm sorry he did that to you. I mean to stop him, not kill him."

"It really doesn't matter," Jubilee said. "If he'd have been alive when Logan got there, that creep would still be dead now."

"Still, I… it matters to me what you think of me," Noh said. "I thought it wouldn't. I was ready for you to hate me if I could just keep you _safe_. But since that has completely exploded in my face… Well. I can't insure your safety from everything, but I can stay _with_ you and try to stave off everything else."

"That's all any of us can do, duh," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Where I'm from, there's no war. I was hoping to do that for you," Noh admitted.

"But there's no choice either," Jubilee said. "Right?"

"Well, not the way you have it here," Noh admitted.

"Well … I'm really not the uniform wearing type," she said as she tossed her hair.

Noh smiled softly at that. "No, but you do look lovely in yellow — your own little flair."

"I wouldn't be able to do that in your reality," she said, then looked up at him quickly. "I wouldn't be able to _date_ you either."

"Well, no…" Noh let out a breath. "But things were not … I _liked_ my home, Jubilee. I was hoping to take the _good_ parts of it and give them to this world. If you were Kree and lived in my world, I wouldn't be so scared of losing you to the whims of madmen."

"But I'm not," she said with a little frown. "And you really are different than the Kree here."

"Yes, I'm aware," Noh said in a sigh. "I don't seem to be very good at existing in this reality."

"Yeah, well … join the club," she said, shifting so she could hug her knees.

Noh shook his head and move over to cup her cheek in his hand. "You must still be emotionally distraught," he said. "You've forgotten that you are everything I love about this world. Joy and fun and music and light all in one beautiful little Terran."

"And still …" She stopped, frowned at herself, and then shook her head. "Nevermind."

"No, speak your mind," Noh said. "I've learned from you that it's best to be open."

She frowned a little deeper at that and shook her head. "No."

Noh let out a sigh and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Jubilee, I am truly sorry. I was emotionally overwhelmed. I saw Monet and thought of my crew, and the thought of that _much_ loss again made me completely illogical. I'm sorry I wasn't there, but I can't change it now. Now, I'm here, and my way forward is lit with your smile, if I can find it again."

"Do you always sound like an English test when you get in trouble?"

"I… don't mean to?" Noh said. He paused and met her gaze. "Is it helping?"

"I don't know. It doesn't sound as fake as what most of the guys I know would say …"

"Jubilee, I don't _lie_. I make mistakes and I misinterpret your culture and I stumble over everything, but I don't _lie_."

She was quiet for a long while. "Okay," she said finally.

"Then … I'd like to sit with you for a while. I'm afraid I'm physically exhausted, so I may fall asleep, but I'd like to fall asleep with you and see you when I wake up."

Jubilee looked up at him and then carefully made her way a little closer. "Alright. I'm still tired."

Noh smiled and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I don't know if I can be an X-Man after all this," he admitted. "But I'd like to stay with you. I know I have a lot to do to apologize, but, well, that's the truth, Jubilee."

"Can we not talk for a while, please?" Jubilee said, though she sounded weary.

Noh let out a breath and kissed her forehead. "Alright," he said, curling up with her — and falling asleep after about ten minutes.


	12. I'm Not Going to Leave

**Notes: Seriously, I love when Charles gets to let loose, too. The X-Men are all powerful in their own ways, but there's a reason they follow his lead. And it's just JUST down to philosophy.**

 **As for Jubilee... I hear you. And so does Jean, as this chapter shows. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: I'm Not Going to Leave**

* * *

Noh found himself, yet again, in front of the door to Charles' office, feeling like a cadet barely out of his growth pod.

After everything that had happened, this was the first time he was coming to Charles not for telepathic defense or for permission to be part of the team… but to seek Charles' help in a professional, psychological manner.

When Charles called out for him to enter, Noh let out a breath and came in, actually relieved to see that Jean was there as well; he could really use her reassuring presence. Even in a temporary home with an office off to the side… Jean was a steady presence he hadn't expected to enjoy as much as he did.

They didn't go into his mindscape, as they usually did. Instead, Charles leaned forward with a sort of gentle smile. "Noh, I'd very much like to hear more about the people you lost when you came here," he said. "It's clear to me that you haven't been able to truly mourn them when the initial loss was so overwhelming _and_ you had a new reality to acclimate to. I would like to help you process not only that loss but everything that has happened with Bastion and his followers that led you into Erik's orbit."

Noh blinked at both of them. "I… don't even know where to begin," he admitted.

"I'm sure," Charles agreed, his expression perfectly sympathetic. "For something this big, it's difficult to know how to put words to it. But as you told me before, to your view, the only thing that has happened since you arrived on this world is that you have been forced to change and adapt to our way of doing things. You found yourself in a reality that denigrated or destroyed everything you knew. You've been forced to see the shortcomings of your own people." He let out a sigh. "But you should be allowed to _celebrate_ them as well, Noh. I would like to hear your good memories of them, as you would like to remember them."

"I wouldn't want to change the reality of what we were," Noh said with a frown.

"And I wouldn't ask you to," Charles assured him. "Please, tell me about your family, your friends." He gave him a gentle smile. "I want you to remember them well — not just when you're mourning."

* * *

Jean was still smiling to herself as she slipped down the hallway. It had been nice to sit in on that session with Noh and hear the _good_ memories he had. It was clear that, despite everything he had learned in this world, he truly loved his home, and she couldn't help but feel sad for him at how much he had lost.

But he wasn't the only one who had been hurt.

Jean made her way quietly down the hall, knowing that she would be able to catch Jubilee before Noh did, if only because Charles had asked him to stay for a moment so they could discuss a schedule for a few more sessions. And Jean wanted to talk to Jubilee… She had an idea she had been mulling over for a while now…

She wasn't surprised to find Jubilee sitting by herself, munching on some candy, and Jean let out a breath as she came to sit by her friend. _I'm not as good at bear hugs as Logan is, I know, but do you think you'd accept me as a stand-in until his class is over?_

Jubilee glanced up at Jean and then shrugged. _I guess you'll do,_ she replied, with only some of the usual teasing in her mental tone.

Jean smiled and then shifted to give Jubilee a hug, making sure to hold her tightly for a long time before she broached any other subject. _I know it feels like he ran out on you,_ she said gently.

Jubilee stiffened slightly in the hug. _No offense, Jean, but that's not really any of your business._

 _I'm just trying to help_ —

 _Don't,_ Jubilee said, her mental tone ringing with resignation and bitterness. _Just don't._

Jean frowned as Jubilee pulled back from the hug. She really did want to help, especially because she could hear in Jubilee's thoughts how much pain she was projecting, how much hurt she was holding too close to her heart. Jubilee always hated being left behind, and this latest incident, with Noh leaving to fight for her — without her — had only opened up those insecurities and fears all over again.

And Jean knew that Jubilee was _also_ dealing with massive guilt and mourning Monet's death. So if Jean could try to step in and alleviate at least _some_ of that pain, keep her from having even more of an abandonment complex… why wouldn't she at least try?

"I think..." Jean said at last, slowly, then paused. "I was wondering if I could get your help on something else, too."

Jubilee glanced up at Jean, her eyes narrowed, obviously not trusting the situation so soon after Jean had tried to _help_. "Okay…" she said, just as slowly as Jean was speaking.

"I know you're still miffed at him," Jean said, "but I think it might help if you came into his mindscape with me." When Jubilee raised an eyebrow, Jean held up a hand. "It would help _him_."

Jubilee narrowed her eyes further and then let out a little huff and shook her head. "You're a terrible liar, you know that? Never play poker."

"I'll work on that," Jean said with a quiet kind of smirk, then paused and, when Jubilee didn't say anything else, asked, "So… will you?"

Jubilee held her breath for a moment and then pointed a finger at Jean. "Is this _actually_ going to help or is this just one of those things where you try to get involved in stuff that's not your business?"

Jean put a hand over her heart. "It will actually help, I promise."

"Then… fine. But I reserve the right to paff you into next week if you're lying to me. Which I think you are."

"Let's try it first, and then you can make decisions, okay?" Jean said.

Jubilee let out another little huff but nodded all the same — which was perfect timing, really, because it was only a couple minutes later that Noh arrived, obviously looking for Jubilee after he had finished with Charles.

He smiled when he saw the two of them and sat down next to Jubilee to kiss her cheek. "Do you mind if I steal one of your Twizzlers for myself?" he teased.

Jubilee shrugged. "Go ahead."

Noh smiled again as he pulled apart one of the red candies, and Jean watched the two of them doing their sort of awkward dance before she cleared her throat. "Noh, do you think you'd be up for another dive into your mindscape?"

Noh looked surprised at the request. "Certainly," he said. "We didn't do much work in our session with Charles — is that your concern?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could take Jubilee with us," Jean said. She did _try_ to keep a poker face, but the glare Jubilee gave her told her that she wasn't doing very well. "I think she could help."

Noh raised his eyebrows again and then shrugged before he turned to face Jubilee. "Is that alright with you?"

Jubilee shrugged almost as carelessly as Noh had. "Yeah. Whatever."

"Then, yes, that would be acceptable," Noh said, turning back to face Jean.

Jean smiled between the two of them before she reached out into both of their minds, linking the three of them together before she pulled them into Noh's mindscape. And then she really just wanted to step back and watch Jubilee take it all in: the painted sunset, the pinks and yellows, the music store, the slowly strengthening mental shield that looked like a bubble gum bubble…

And for as much as Jubilee had been giving Jean a hard time about not having a poker face, Jean almost laughed when she saw the expression Jubilee had on: concentrated, raw surprise.

"So," Noh said after a beat of silence, "what is it that you want to do here?"

Jean smiled at him. "For now, why don't you just show us around?"

Noh nodded and then offered his hand to Jubilee, who took it but was still looking around at the mindscape. It was still very Kree… but the parts of it that weren't had her fingerprints all over it, and Jean could tell Jubilee didn't know what to do with that information.

"And this is one of my favorite places," he said, indicating the little area where Jubilee could see a sort of reconstructed version of the mall — though the only stores in the mindscape were for music and places that they'd gone for food on dates.

Jubilee blinked at him and then spun around to point at Jean. "Are you serious?"

"You said I was a bad liar, remember?" Jean said. "This is how it's been in here for months now."

"Is something the matter?" Noh asked, looking between the two of them with an obvious frown.

"No," Jubilee said sharply,then shook her head. "Well, yeah. What's up with…" She gestured around the mindscape, though Jean saw it when her expression turned from shocked to troublemaking. "Are you trying to steal my look?"

"No," Noh promised quickly.

"Then what…" Jubilee let the sentence hang as she looked around.

Noh frowned and then took a step forward, taking both of Jubilee's hands in his. "I thought it was obvious," he said gently. "I love you, Jubilee. Deeply. You've made such a mark on my heart and my soul — how could you be anything but ever-present in my mind?"

Jean couldn't stop her smile even if she wanted to as she watched the two of them, taking a step back to give them as much privacy as she could manage. This was going according to plan — or, well, at least as well as she'd hoped it would.

Still, Jubilee looked a little taken aback, though she did pull Noh into a long kiss and then spun to look at Jean. "Break the link. I want to talk to my boyfriend _in private_."

Jean nodded quickly and did just that, bringing all of them back into the real world. She got to her feet. "I'll just go find Scott," she said — though on her way out, she made sure to project to Noh how Jubilee had been feeling, sure that he probably needed the roadmap. Even if he wasn't still learning about their world, he was a guy, after all.

 _I had no idea,_ Noh projected back to Jean.

 _I figured as much,_ Jean said. _That's why I stepped in._

 _Thank you._

Jean smirked to herself at that. She really did like having Noh around — if for no other reason than that it was nice, sometimes, to be thanked.

Once Jean was gone, Jubilee turned to face Noh, obviously gearing up to say something, but Noh got there first, reaching out to take her hand and give her his most apologetic look. "I'm so sorry that I gave you any reason to think I didn't love you," he said. "I never meant to hurt you. I was wrong."

Jubilee frowned and narrowed her eyes at him before she said, simply, "Yeah, you were."

"And I will do whatever you ask to make it up to you," Noh continued.

Jubilee looked around and then shook her head. "Can we do this somewhere that's _not_ the middle of the kitchen?"

Noh blinked at her and then nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. Privacy," he said before he swept her up in his arms to take her down to where his ship was still occupying its own little space in the hangar. He carried her in and then set her down once the ship was sealed behind them. "Better?"

Jubilee nodded and then didn't wait any longer than that before she closed the short distance between them, throwing her arms around his neck to kiss the sense out of him. And when she finally did stop kissing him, she pulled back just enough that he could see her sharp expression as she poked him in the chest with every word that she said next: "If you ever leave me in the dust again, you can forget about trying to make it up to me, because I'm _out_. You got that?"

Noh blinked, trying to concentrate on the serious conversation when his head was still back in the kiss. "Yes. Of course," he said, a bit belatedly.

"Good," Jubilee said before she kissed him again — and then smiled when Noh scooped her up once more to get a little more involved.

That was exactly the kind of kissing up he needed to do to get back in her good books.

 **Final Notes: This is the last chapter of this volume! I haven't picked out a volume title for the next one yet, but it's coming... I promise. Keep your eyes peeled!**


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